The Sun Blog

David Ontiveros is working as a full-time Police Communications Analyst III for the University of California Riverside Police Department, as he has for the past ten years.  He started shortly after being honorably discharged from the United States Army.  In those years with the UCR Police Department, David has not only grown the technology within the department but notably has improved the communications of the department, creating a safer and more reliable environment for the officers and the campus community.

David started his interest in radio communications while serving as a 25U Signal Support Systems Specialist in the United States Army.  As a Signal Support Systems Specialist, David’s duties were to maintain computer systems, local area networks and, most importantly, work with radio communications and jamming enemy transmissions.

With David’s radio background, and as technologies for police departments grew, David began diving into what it would take to bring the UCR PD radio system from analog to the newer digital technologies. He attended meetings with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Safety Enterprise Communication (PSEC) group.  

Moving the police department from a 30-year-old VHF system to a 700MHz digital system required a new backend of equipment in the server room, new circuits, and new radios (both handheld and in the units). It required David to learn how these radios would function and work with PSEC and Motorola. David accomplished this and still performed his other duties as the IT person for the department.  Without David’s efforts, his approach to learning and applying that knowledge, without his willingness to handle unique problems, this department would not exist. We would not have been able to meet the standards required to bring our radio system into the 21^st century.

David is married to Tatiana, and they have three beautiful children, Savannah, David, and Colton.  He spends his weekends with his young family discovering new things together.  David’s kids are involved in T-ball, soccer, and karate, so he has a very full family life.  He helps take care of his father and runs a carpet cleaning business together.  David always makes time for his friends and anyone in need.