FARE ENFORCEMENT SOP: RADIO COMMUNICATION 1.0 PURPOSE: This directive establishes the Standard Operating Procedure for radio communications involving King County Metro Transit Security Fare Enforcement Division personnel while conducting their assigned duties. It defines the basic responsibilities of both the FEOs and the FE Supervisor. It outlines how Fare Enforcement shall conduct business while operating a King County portable radio and establishes a standardized process for Fare Enforcement Officers to clearly communicate with the King County Sheriff Office Regional Communications Center (KCSO Dispatch), other FEOs, and other agencies. 2.0 SCOPE: This directive applies to all King County Metro Fare Enforcement personnel. 3.0 DEFINITIONS: a. COACH – Any Rapid Ride vehicle where FEOs have legal authority to enforce the Washington State RCWs relating to KC Metro’s Fare Payment Policy. b. COMMUNICATIONS CENTER KCSO Regional Communications Center (KCSO Dispatch c. FCC- Federal Communications Commission d. FCR - Final Classification Reporting e. FE – Fare Enforcement f. FEO - Fare Enforcement Officer g. KCM – King County Metro h. KCSO – King County Sheriff’s Office i. ON-VIEW - Normal patrol activity such as riding the Rapid Ride coach. j. REROUTE - Diversions or departures from the previously engaged activity. A break, lunch, fare evader interdiction, are all examples of a reroute. k. SLANG - The use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language l. SMC – Security Monitoring Center m. TCC - Transit Control Center 4.0 AUTHORITY: a. FCC b. KCM c. KCSO d. TCC 5. RADIO COMMUNICATION - GENERAL FEO RESPONSIBILITIES a. Expectations i. Upon assignment to the Fare Enforcement Division, each FEO will be assigned a specific radio identified by serial number. This information shall be recorded in the FE equipment database. ii. FEOs will retrieve their radio from the Fare Enforcement Office at the beginning of their shift and will return it to the radio charging cradle in the FE Office at the end of their shift. They will not take a radio home, or possess it while not on duty. iii. Unless the FEO is out of service (10-7), they will have their radio in their possession and turned on at all times while logged in with the communication center. iv. FEOs will adhere to conventional standards of radio conduct. 1. Radio communications initiated by FEOs a. Plan what you want to say before transmitting b. Firmly press the transmission button when you are ready to communicate c. Cleary state your call sign (Example: MetroFare31) and state your request. 1. Radio communications initiated by the Communications Center d. The Communication Center will transmit the call sign of the FEO (Example: MetroFare31). e. The FEO shall respond by acknowledging the ’s transmission by stating “go ahead.” f. Once the is done with the transmission, the FEO shall transmit back to dispatch that he/she received the information by stating “Received or Copy.” 2. All language must be professional and pertain only to FEO duties. The use of slang is unprofessional and it’s use is prohibited. 3. All communications related to the spelling of names/words will be by the use of the police phonetics: A-adam B-boy C-charles D-david E-edward F-frank G-george H-henry I-ida J-john K-king L-lincoln M-mary N-nora O-ocean P-paul Q-queen R-robert S-sam T-tom U-union V-victor W-william X-x-ray Y-young Z-zebra (5) Call signs shall be used while transmitting on the radio at all times. (6) Non-compliance or misconduct may result in suspension from use of a KCSO-band radio, and ultimately the inability to act as an appointed FEO on this contract. b. Contacting Transit Control Center: i. TCC will be notified of any FEO duty that has the potential of interrupting the operations of the Rapid Ride system. ii. TCC will be contacted via issued cell phone or work landline at (206) 684-1705 non-emergency related. RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH KING COUNTY METRO DISPATCH- FEO RESPONSIBILITIES a. Supervision of the Air i. By virtue of their role in the field, supervision of radio traffic will be primarily vested in the on-duty King County Metro Police shift sergeant. ii. Performance issues, including follow-ups, will be directed to agency management of the FEO detail. b. Alternate Methods of Communicating with the KCSO Communications Center i. If it becomes necessary for an FEO to make telephone contact with the dispatch center, they should call 206-296-3380. ii. Call-takers are also handling incoming 9-1-1- calls so exercise brevity and discretion with these calls. iii. Identifying oneself by call-sign will also expedite handling of the call. iv. Procedural concerns or feedback should be directed through the chain of command, rather than directly to the Communications Center. c. Appropriate Communications i. The following types of exchanges are deemed appropriate and necessary to perform Fare Enforcement duties: 1. In-service 2. Out of service 3. Reroute (location and number of subjects) 4. Requests for Police assistance for the FEO team 5. Requests for Police assistance for re-routed criminal incidents that an FEO witnesses. 6. Other urgent requests that are directly related to the preservation of life or property and are of an emergent nature (for example, a medical assist). d. Inappropriate Communications i. The following types of exchanges are considered inappropriate and should be avoided: (1) Banter or otherwise unnecessary chatter. (2) Unit-to-unit conversations. These should be handled via a telephone or two-way direct-connect. (3) Requests transmitted to the KCSO dispatcher for information relating to a vehicle or person (for example, ACCESS-protected information). (4) Conversation or requests not directly related to Fare Enforcement, emergent situation, or in reply to a question asked by the KCSO dispatcher. e. KCSO Band Reminders i. It is important to remember that the MetroPD radio frequency is shared by several law enforcement agencies. As such, there is often high-priority traffic being passed. FEOs must remain mindful of this, and exercise caution when seeking to transmit information, especially during times of crisis or amidst high-priority traffic. ii. If the air is closed, meaning no non-emergency traffic may be passed, the FEOs will be advised by management as to how to proceed with Fare Enforcement. This may include switching radio bands or suspending Fare Enforcement until such time as KCSO radio is opened. iii. Dispatcher checking your status: 1. “Code four” if you are alright 2. “Code four at this time” if you have an officer coming and still need him/her but are alright 3. Keep back-up coming; expedite or fast back-up as appropriate. iv. If you are unsure about a procedure or have a quick question for the dispatcher, feel free to switch your radio to METRO-TAC, and ask there (being sure to say your call sign and wait for the “go ahead” first). You can also call into the communications center at 206-296-3380 and ask for Metro radio dispatcher, after identifying yourself to the call receiver by your call sign. v. When you hear a dispatcher say “Stand-by”, hold your radio traffic until he/she says your call sign and “go ahead”. There may be silence on the radio, but that does not necessarily indicate it’s OK to talk. This silence may be related to an officer safety issue where it is necessary to keep the radio traffic limited, or the dispatcher may be busy and not available to handle more requests at the time. f. Logging In and Out of Service i. All personnel using the radio to come in service will do so on their assigned talk-group. ii. To come in service, provide the dispatcher with the appropriate call sign followed by iii. “in-service”. When acknowledged, give call sign, state you have two serial numbers, and then give both serial numbers of the FEO pair and your radio number. (1) If an FEO does not have a serial ID setup with the Communications Center, then they will log in with the appropriate radio number and attach themselves to the Metro Fare unit they will be iv. All personnel using the radio to go out of service at the end of their shift should advise the dispatcher of their call sign followed by “out of service”. v. WHEN YOU COME IN SERVICE You: MetroFare31 in service with 2 numbers Dispatcher: Go ahead You: 01972 & 03445, Portable 734123 Dispatcher: MetroFare31 copy g. On-view procedures i. Personnel advising radio of on-view activity shall use the following format: ii. Full unit number, “on-view”, once the dispatcher acknowledges, state street location and whether you’re on the coach or at the Rapid Ride Stop. 1. If you are on the coach, give your direction of travel; NB, SB, EB or WB 2. Call signs are designated to each team based on the line they are inspecting. - A Line: MetroFare21 - B Line: MetroFare31 - C Line: MetroFare41 - D Line: MetroFare51 - E Line: MetroFare61 - F Line: MetroFare71 - Emphasis: MetroFare81 3. If there are multiple units on the line the second and subsequent units will call in numerical order for the line they area attached too. (A second unit on the A-line will call in as MetroFare22) h. When saying location and bus info, always give direction first, cross streets next, and coach number or shelter info last. iii. WHEN YOU BOARD A COACH - a. You: MetroFare31, coach ride b. Dispatcher: Go ahead c. You: Northbound, 188 & Pac Hwy, on Coach #6001 d. Dispatcher: MetroFare31 copy iv. WHEN YOU DE-BOARD A COACH - e. You: MetroFare31, update location f. Dispatcher: Go ahead g. You: Off the coach, Northbound, 188 & Pac Hwy h. Dispatcher: MetroFare31 copy i. Re-route procedure i. Re-route will be used in the event the officer has to take any security or fare enforcement action. ii. When providing the location of the re-route give the approximate street names and direction. iii. It is understood that in urgent or emergency situations, it may be necessary for the officer to give all of the re-route information in one transmission. WHEN YOU MAKE CONTACT WITH A FARE EVADER- You: MetroFare31, re-route for fare evader (or disturbance, DV, fight, etc.) Dispatcher: Go ahead You: Northbound, 188 & Pac Hwy, with one (or the number you have stopped) Dispatcher: MetroFare31 copy j. Requests for Back-Up or Assistance i. When additional assistance is requested, all efforts should be made to eliminate any confusion as to how many units are required and how fast they are needed. ii. The following methods of calling for back-up should be used whenever possible: 1. FAST BACK-UP - FEO NEEDS HELP NOW– Fast response requested. This is used when FEO’s are under attack or they believe attack is imminent. 2. EXPEDITED BACK-UP - FEO REQUEST EXPEDITIOUS RESPONSE. This is used when FEO’s sense the situations is escalating but have not risen to level of fast back-up. WHEN YOU NEED A KING COUNTY METRO OFFICER TO RESPOND- You: MetroFare31, I need a Metro unit for a ____ (fare evader, disturbance, etc) Dispatcher: Go ahead You: Northbound, 188 & Pac Hwy, on coach #6001 or in the shelter Dispatcher: MetroFare31 copy k. Clearing/Final Classification Reporting (FCR) i. All incidents that result in an event being generated in CAD require an FCR in order to be closed out. ii. FCR’s consist of an incident classification code, disposition code, and hazard factor code. iii. Calls shall be cleared in the following manner: (1) The primary unit on an incident will advise the dispatcher of the FCR that best fits the incident. (2) The FCR is sufficient to clear the event. CLEARING A RE-ROUTE FARE EVADER: You: MetroFare31, clear Dispatcher: Go ahead You: 604 John or Victor Dispatcher: Copy c. Clearing Codes When finished with an on-view (end of the day) or re-route, FEO’s will need to clear the call with one of the following codes: METRO RAPID RIDE ------------------------------- 600… Unlawful Transit Conduct 603… Bus Ride 604… Fare Evasion d. Other Clearing Codes SERVICE CALLS / DOWN TIME ------------------------------------ 554… Citizen Assist *578… Out of Service, KCM Business *579… Out of Service - Lunch *582… Training (* ALWAYS CLOSED WITH “Z” DISPOSITION) e. Dispositions B Assistance Rendered/Assignment Completed-No Report J Notice of Infraction Issued (use for fare evasion citations) V Warning Given X Assisting another unit who took primary (use when you turn a fare evader or Obstructer over to KCM Police for a warrant or criminal matter). Z Out of service M Follow up w/o Citation P Follow up w/ Citation CLEARING ON-VIEW COACH RIDE AT END OF DAY (PRIOR TO RETURNING TO BASE): You: MetroFare31, clear Dispatcher: Go ahead You: 603-Boy, and10-7 Dispatcher: Copy, goodnight f. Closed Air i. “BEEP, BEEP, BEEP” An alert tone to get deputies attention before broadcasting very high priority details, such as a shooting. ii. “BEEP” (10 seconds later) “BEEP” (10 sec later) “BEEP” Closed air tones, deputies are at a high priority detail and they are the only ones that are allowed to talk on the closed air. If you hear this and have non-emergency traffic, switchto Metro TAC to talk to the dispatcher. iii. When the air is closed, personnel shall not transmit unless: (1) They are directly involved in the situation (2) They are involved in an unrelated emergency situation (3) Only “need to know” information shall be broadcast. 7.0 RADIO COMMUNICATION - FE SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES a. Supervisors will monitor the radio communication procedures of FEOs. b. Supervisors should ensure all radios are in good working order. 8.0 REVIEW: The KCM Contract Security Coordinator or Delegate will ensure all Directives, Policies, and Procedures are reviewed at least annually to ensure compliance with King County Metro Security Division policy. Directives, Policies, and Procedures will be updated immediately if division procedure changes or when a facility adds or deletes post positions or procedures and duties. 9.0 SUPERSESSION: All previous Fare Enforcement Manuals. All memorandums are unaffected. 10.0 EFFECTIVE DATE: 01/15/2015 ISSUING AUTHORITY ___________________ Gail Israelson KCM Contract Security Coordinator