In-Service a Unit    ( Radio Unit ID )

Status Monitor Code: AV

 

Before any action can be taken on a specific unit that unit must be placed in service.  Placing a unit in service makes them available for assignment and places the unit on the unit status monitor.  You can in service a unit using either of the following 2 methods:

  1. Select the appropriate unit and click the In Service (‘I.S.’) command button

  2. Type the following period-delimited command syntax: IS.UNITID.TYPE.OFFICER.COMMENT.BEAT.SECTOR.DISTRICT

UNITID = Radio Unit ID or other relevant ID of the field resource * REQUIRED

TYPE =  Code value that corresponds to the type of field resource P=Police, F=Fire, M=Medical, O=Other
OFFICER = RMS Officer ID (Permanent ID #)
COMMENT = Any relevant comments
BEAT = Beat the field resource is assigned to
SECTOR = Sector the field resource is assigned to
DISTRICT = District the field resource is assigned to

If you use the command line and specify the optional; Officer ID,  Beat,  Sector or  District parameters you must be certain to supply a valid code as defined in the system code tables for each respective parameter or the in-service command will fail.  

 

Placing Multiple units (up to 10) In-service at the same time can be performed from the command line using the following command line syntax:

MIS.TYPE.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT.UNIT

Note that when using the MIS syntax you must specify the Unit Type before specifying the period delimited list of up to 10 units to place into service.  The Unit Type specified (P=Police, F=Fire, etc.) will be assigned to each unit in the command string.

 

To In-Service an entire Team of units, see the 'IT' command in the help for  Unit Related Command Line Syntax

 

* CAUTION:  Do not confuse the CAD/CFS  "Unit ID" (Radio Unit ID) with the RMS Officer ID (Permanent ID#).  

 

While in some departments these values may be one in the same, the RMS Officer ID makes specific reference to the permanent ID of an officer or individual while a CAD/CFS radio "Unit ID" more often makes reference to a field resource or apparatus (such as a patrol car assigned to a specific beat or district, without necessarily referring to a specific officer, or a specific fire truck or ambulance).

Unit ID's can be based on a wide variety of factors and should generally correspond with the value used to communicate with them over the radio.  When the dispatcher looks at the status monitor they should see the same value they will speak to communicate with that unit over the radio.

Examples:  In some jurisdictions the Unit ID is the same as the car #.  This type of reference is common with fire departments as the Radio Unit ID corresponds to the Truck or Engine being deployed.  Sometimes Unit ID values are based on the beat or district the patrol unit is assigned to. So an officer working Beat #1 may be referred to on the Radio as "B1".   In one large California jurisdiction the Unit ID is a 4 digit number where the first digit refers to the shift being worked (5=Day, 6=Night, 7=Midnight), the second digit refers to how many officers are in the car (1=Solo Officer , 2=Officer and Partner) and the last 2 digits refer to the police District the car is assigned to patrol.  Thus for example a Unit ID of "7133" would be a Midnight shift , Solo Officer assigned to work District 33.  There are a great many different schemes and ideas for radio Unit ID values and there is no correct or incorrect value per-se.  You should use values that are meaningful to your agency, however it is simply important to understand that a designated radio "Unit ID" and an RMS Permanent "Officer ID" are two distinct values that may or may not be the same.