A radio tower capable of reaching cars in a radius of at least 25 miles and base stations to at least Trenton was needed but these were depression days when money was tight. World Champ Boxer Joe Louis and other famous fighters of the era trained at Pompton Lakes. In 1935 when the Pompton Lakes First Aid Squad was organized to serve the needs of at least a dozen communities, Joe Louis staged exhibition bouts with other famous fighters such as Max Baer Sr. to raise money for it. Then he did the same thing when a fund for the radio tower was established. Supposedly one reason that Joe did this was because he so impressed with the way he, a black man, was accepted by a virtually all white community compared to what he had experienced in the deep south.
Although individual police departments are licensed by the FCC, the system has been licensed to the NJPRA for the past 60+ years with the call sign of KEA-291. Pompton Lakes PD is responsible for the base and tower with that main radio coming out of its location and thus uses the term "headquarters" in addition to "Pompton" or "Pompton Lakes".
Current members who use NJPRA as their primary frequency (37.30 ch 1 & 37.32 ch 2) and car assignments are: Pompton Lakes 100-149 Riverdale � � 150-199 Butler � � � � 300-349 Kinnelon � � � 350-399 Wanaque � � � 500-599 Bloomingdale � 650-699
Members who use the system as a secondary channel these days and their primary channels are: Ringwood � � � 200-299 � 37.16 repeater output West Milford � 400-499 � 37.02 repeater output Pequannock � � 600-649 � unkown/recent change
Until it was abolished in the mid 1990's the Wanaque Reservoir Police were members. Newar Watershed Police also utilized the system until the late 1980's. A now retired captain who started in the 1950's told me that in the 1940's and 1950's other towns included Lincoln Park, Montville, and Oaklnad that he was aware of and thought that others in Morris and Bergen counties bordering those may have been at one time.
We also have the following first aid squads whose rigs use the NJPRA channels as their primary means of communications other than pager dispatch: Pompton Lakes FAS � � � 26-29 Tri-Boro FAS � � � � � � 36-39 Wanaque FAS � � � � � � 66-69
In addition squads that use it secondary : West Milford FAS � � � � 46-49 Pequannock FAS � � � � � 56-59 Ringwood Vol Amb. Corps 230-234
70 & 70A is Animal Control for the six primary towns.
As for the dispatching, for years NJPRA performed dispatching service for many of the members through the Pompton Lakes PD. Butler was the first to break away since it had an electric utility requiring someone on duty 24/7/365, and so had them handle the police in addition to power & light, water & other dpw chores.
In 1968 when I obtained my first "police radio" (a tunable with no squelch) Pequannock, Ringwood, Wanaque Reservoir and West Milford were still on the main channel but dispatched themselves. Kinnelon was dispatched by Butler and had been since the late 1950's, and Pompton Lakes' one operator dispatched Bloomingdale, Ringwood, Riverdale, and Wanaque. Pequannock and West Milford had 24 hour dispatch then also. There was no such thing has computers then. Local PD's could have teletype receivers but only designated locations could send tt's with NJPRA performing that service for all of its members, even for motor vehicle look ups which had to be done by teletype with replies within hours except for matters of emergency that had to be phoned to Trenton. � In the early 1970's the NJSP began operating a ncic/dmv computer with the local PD's given special phone lines to call in their requests.
In 1971, a proposed rate increase for dispatching service prompted Riverdale (then pop. 2000 and now 2500) to go on its own. Then Ringwood and Wanaque broke away also. In 1980, Kinnelon began using Riverdale for dispatching from 1600-0800 and weekends and still does. Bloomingdale continued to use Pompton Lakes 24 hours a day until the mid 1970's all the time but since then only from 24:00 to 08:00.
When NJ implemented the statewide 911 system that went online one county at a time in 1991, towns were given the option of having their own terminals or contracting with another agency to relay the calls to them. Among NJPRA members Butler, Pequannock, Pompton Lakes, Ringwood and West Milford have their own. Pompton Lakes receives 911 for Bloomingdale and Wanaque while the Morris County Sheriff's Communications Center takes them for Kinnelon and Riverdale.
Today the population of the six boroughs that use the NJPRA for its primary radio system exceeds 40,000 people and includes two major highways (NJ 23 & I-287), usually with 16 - 18 patrol cars in use. Ad additional 45,000 live in the other 3 municipalities.
Rich Dean
