By DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)
In April, the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) brought together several U.S. law enforcement organizations for an evaluation of tactical communication systems. S&T’s Response and Defeat Operations Support (REDOPS) Program was on-site to conduct the assessments and collect feedback.
Hosted by the Tampa Police Department (TPD) Special Operations Division, the event addressed a capability gap identified and prioritized by S&T’s First Responders Resource Group. Tactical teams and public safety bomb squads across the nation are no strangers to high-stress, hazardous environments. They must remain calm under pressure to navigate critical situations successfully—their lives and the lives of the public depends on it. Clear and effective communication, and the technology to achieve it, are crucial to mission success and safety. The Tampa assessment offered an opportunity to test new technologies on the market and provide insight on their capability to enhance first responder operational communication and increase the efficiency and security of field operations.
S&T’s REDOPS and Research and Prototyping for Tactical Operations (RAPTOR) programs, two major initiatives under S&T’s First Responder Capability portfolio, assessed 14 communication systems, testing their ability to facilitate clear communications and provide hearing protection for tactical teams and bomb squads. The systems were provided by nine companies (also in attendance at the assessment), who provided their newest systems for testing at no cost to the government.
The REDOPS and RAPTOR programs were specifically commissioned to support public safety bomb technicians and tactical teams across the nation. REDOPS focuses on providing a collaborative structure for addressing improvised explosive device threats, while RAPTOR prioritizes addressing tactical (SWAT) team capability gaps, selecting appropriate equipment and technology and sharing successful tactics to address challenges.
“REDOPS assessments are extremely important for both the bomb squad and tactical communities. Results from various assessments not only provide information for tactics, techniques, and procedures improvements but also assist each squad/team with making informed procurement decisions,” said REDOPS Program Manager Byung Hee Kim.
Here, the team worked with representatives from TPD, the Fort Worth (TX) Bomb Squad, Shelby County (TN) Sheriff’s Office, Fresno (CA) Police Department, Michigan State Police, Chicago (IL) Police Department, Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, New Jersey State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Capitol Police to assess each of the featured communications systems by evaluating their characteristics and performance when used in a variety of realistic scenarios.
The assessment primarily focused on a system’s ability to maintain auditory situational awareness and voice communications in various continuous or intermittent noise environments, ranging from very quiet to extremely loud sound levels. Evaluated systems included both over-ear and in-ear systems, consisting of a headset, an associated push-to-talk mechanism, and any associated cables.
Over the course of a week, tactical operators and bomb technicians evaluated up to four different communication systems per day. After classroom instruction, the operators took turns running each system through a series of operational objective testing stations in extreme and varied noise environments. These ranged from whispering commands in a quiet room near a simulated ‘suspect,’ to successfully transmitting over a radio while in high-noise environments like riding in an armored BearCat vehicle or a helicopter.
Each system was also tested on its ability to identify and locate various low-level, tactically relevant sounds (e.g., footsteps, a door opening, loading of a firearm, a baby crying), ensuring the systems provided a high level of end-user situational awareness. Testers assessed each headset’s ability to function when used with ballistic helmets, eye protection, gloves, gas masks, and rifles — equipment typically used by tactical personnel and bomb squad technicians during operations. At the request of several tactical teams working in maritime environments, the systems were even tested on their ability to continue to function after a brief submersion in water.
At the end of each day, assessment testers met with company representatives to provide feedback and insight into what they liked about the system and how it could be improved. One company’s representative commented how they “got more critical feedback over the course of 7–8 hours than [they] typically get in a 3-Day Range Event.” Another representative stated, “Nobody, outside of vendors, does testing like this…it is good to see this type of testing done using actual tactical operators and bomb technicians.”
Throughout the assessment, S&T collected an enormous amount of relevant objective data on each communication system, as well as subjective input from each tester on the fit, form, and function of the systems. The REDOPS team, in collaboration with program performer DAGER Technology LLC, is currently analyzing the data collected and will soon publish a free comparative report of its findings. The report will serve as a guide to help first responders differentiate between the various new communication systems available on the market, potentially saving the end-users both time and money. Feedback is also provided to the equipment manufacturers so they can perform their own research and development to improve their systems.
REDOPS and RAPTOR staff received significant positive feedback from the tactical teams and public safety bomb squad participants. The U.S. Capitol Police commented that it was a “great experience” that “will specifically help us as we are in the market for a new communication system.” Fresno Police stated that the testing “took into consideration the types of sound environments and conditions we (tactical teams) will find ourselves in 99% of the time.”
Moving forward, the REDOPS and RAPTOR programs are looking to conduct two additional operational assessments in 2025: Tactical Camera Systems and Medium Robots, which includes quadruped robotic platforms. These events will include a variety of new and innovative products and will again include participation from tactical teams and public safety bomb squads across the country.
For related media inquiries, please contact STMedia@hq.dhs.gov. For additional information about REDOPS, listen to The Bomb Squad Is Not an Afterthought, an episode of S&T’s Technologically Speaking podcast with Byung Hee Kim. Contact first.responder@hq.dhs.gov for more about the assessment and findings.