Amen to that John.. our CB radio network was widespread throughout Brooklyn. My handle was “Mr. Whipple”, (you know the “Charman t.p. Squeezer”. One guy from our citizen group was “Drifter”. Always walking. No car. Kinda backwoods hillbilly type, couldn’t get Whipple straight. Called me “Mr Whippee”. SMH. It stuck.
We never went hungry. They kept us fed. Since very few if any fast food stayed open at night. Reserve Officer Couch and his wife were “Loud mouth”, his was (I forget)…. Gave us stuffed hard crabs.
He passed long ago after serving 33 years as a volunteer. Beat my service by 3 years.
I still have my CB radio. It still works. Everyone else is gone. Channel 9 still has truckers. And cops are still “bears”. Bears in the air, (helicopter), bears in the woods, (hiding in the weeds with radar)”, unmarked car, (plain wrapper”).
Cab radios really helped us to find trouble spots, accidents or whatever.
In the police car we would on police radio tell so and so….”meet me on channel 18”, or whatever. Really filled a void before cell phones.