But that’s just what happened during the recent blizzard: they handled 3,725 calls for help, the Des Moines Register reports. That’s more than double the average of 766 calls a day.

While the only time I ever hear dispatchers from the Iowa State Patrol is when they’re communicating with the executive protection branch at the Iowa capitol. But I’m sure it made for some great listening on LEA and car-to-car, along the same lines of Highway Helper and the DOT snow plow crews. I’m sure they had many colorful ways of describing those unskilled drivers that didn’t heed the “travel not advised” warnings…

Those same systems will probably make for some good listening this week, as holiday travelers will be fighting rain, freezing rain, sleet, and possibly a foot or snow on top of all that. Let’s hope people have wised up this go-round.

A RadioReference user (who has previously delivered reliable RACOM information) reports that the Iowa State Patrol has been spotted on the RACOM network from the Des Moines tower using talkgroup ID 399 talking about new radios. Another user also heard troopers discussing RACOM on ISP’s current P25 car-to-car channel.

This is certainly an interesting development, considering the Iowa Department of Public Safety is suffering some severe cutbacks from a tighter-than-expected state budget. While I am not as familiar with the State Patrol’s relatively antiquated VHF/UHF system, the state has of course been interested in deploying a statewide or regional radio network such as ARMER, ORION, or STARCOMM. RACOM has been mentioned previously as a ready-made statewide radio network that the state could easily utilize.

Could this just be a test drive of the system for ISP, or is this something that’s been in the works for years and State Patrol is finally beginning to flip all the switches?

Many agencies are already on the RACOM network, including Polk County, who was RACOM’s first-ever public safety agency client (RACOM was geared towards farmers needing regional communications until that point).