Every police gear has its own function and use. From firearm to pocketknives, every single tactical gear carried by the US cops has a designated role it is meant to perform in terms of protection, communication, and surveillance. The radio is one of such important police gears. If you have seen a police radio, you would notice that it is a two-way radio that transmits waves to another or other radios. This radio is referred to as a walkie-talkie. The walkie-talkies which constitute an important part of police gear have more advanced features and security unlike other commercial walkie-talkies used by industries, the staff of an event in large gatherings, etc.
As a cop is incomplete without his firearm, so is he without his radio. A cop without his walkie-talkie is technically shut out from his colleagues like a lone wolf on a hunting expenditure. Unlike regular radios, the US police radios operate in a 700/800 MHz UHF band. This allows it to work over a considerable amount of range, especially in urban areas. The US police communicate information that is usually classified and considered to be for their hearing alone. Hence, police radio systems are encrypted to secure communication and prevent outsiders from listening in. Encryption encodes the audio signals such that hackers or anyone trying to gather information from them is unable to understand it.
A US police walkie-talkie requires licensing from the FCC. Federal Communications Commission. This license is valid for 10 years. The police radio has an SOS emergency, which is often used to alert others in the case of an emergency. A walkie-talkie can cover more range and maintain a high frequency when in places with low or bad signal coverage.
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