NEW RADIO TRANSMITTER ON CATALINA ISLAND TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES FOR LOS ANGELES PORT POLICE, OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS

SAN PEDRO, Calif. – November 15, 2018 – To enhance communications along rough coastal terrain outside of the federal breakwater and areas along the San Pedro coastline in and near the Port of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Port Police have installed a new radio transmitter atop a communication tower on Catalina Island. The new system allows Port Police and other first responders to more consistently communicate during regular patrols, security missions, and emergency search and rescue operations.

“Port Police officers are frequently first on the scene during emergencies, such as distressed boaters or serious falls from unstable cliffs,” said Port Police Captain Daniel Cobos, whose team oversaw the research and installation of the new transmission equipment. “This improved radio transmission and interoperability among Port officers and fellow first responders is another way we are working to protect and keep the Port and our community safe.”

Until installation of the new antenna and transmission equipment, more remote coastal topography like the Point Fermin cliffs or outer breakwater areas within the Port’s jurisdiction created transmission “dead zones,” in which communication or emergency signals were often lost or non-existent. The lapse often hampered critical communication and coordination among air, land, and sea first-responders, especially in emergency situations.

The new Motorola antenna is located on Catalina Island’s Blackjack Mountain—the island’s highest peak. Now fully operational, the signal frequency is reaches as far south as Sunset Beach and as far north as Redondo Beach.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $284 billion in trade during 2017. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.