A few years ago Orange County consolidated the radio systems used by every Fire and Police Department in the county into one gargantuan, hugenormous radio system called the CCCS (Countywide Coordinated Communications System). Instead of having thirty-four cities each with their own isolated radio systems, the CCCS created one huge, interoperable communications channel across the entire county. It’s a trunked system, of course, so it’s not like anyone’s fighting for airtime.
Los Angeles county has been trying to do the same thing but Raytheon and Motorola have been fighting aggressively for the contract and stalling the process. And it of course doesn’t help that systems like ICIS and the South Bay’s SBRPCA already exist within LA county are trying to do this themselves on a smaller scale.
The way things are going, LA-RICS (Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System) may never happen.