The C.E.M.P. MUSEUM
WELCOME TO THE HISTORY OF C.E.M.P. SEARCH & RESCUE

SERVING LOS ANGELES FOR OVER 55 YEARS
“The work C.E.M.P. does is priceless. They are so helpful to us, and their reputation is impeccable.” – Sgt J. Torres, LAPD
CREATED OUT OF NECESSITY
C.E.M.P. Is Born
June, 1962 – A child goes missing in the San Fernando Valley. Back then there was no such thing as a “Critical Missing” designation, so she was considered a “missing person.” During the search, citizen volunteers began to join the effort. A small group of individual citizen-band (CB) radio operators bonded together and noted that a lack of coordination and control during these type of missing person cases resulted in a pitiful, disorganized attempt at a rescue operation where a child’s life may be at stake. These men, realizing the need for group effectiveness, formed a club. In October, 1962 this “club” incorporated and was named “Citizens Emergency Mobile Patrol.”
A Fast Growing Idea
Immediately after incorporation, C.E.M.P. obtained a corporation Class D station license from the FCC to allow 100 transmitters to further help the city’s needs. One of the team’s first major assignments in collaboration with the L.A. County Medical Association and Pasadena Civil Defense was to help distribute polio vaccine to prevent a possible epidemic. Soon after distribution of these health immunizations, C.E.M.P. provided its radio communications for parades and other community events.
C.E.M.P. has continued to grow both in its members and in the services it provides. The team, which strives to provide whatever the community and its respective agencies request, is composed of members who all have full-time jobs and commit themselves to giving back to the community. The team is routinely requested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Park Rangers, County Police, LA County Sheriff’s Dept and Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) for services of critical missing searches, to fire patrol, lighting for criminal investigations, traffic control, disaster response and stand-by medical for fairs, parades, and races.
A Fast Growing Idea
Immediately after incorporation, C.E.M.P. obtained a corporation Class D station license from the FCC to allow 100 transmitters to further help the city’s needs. One of the team’s first major assignments in collaboration with the L.A. County Medical Association and Pasadena Civil Defense was to help distribute polio vaccine to prevent a possible epidemic. Soon after distribution of these health immunizations, C.E.M.P. provided its radio communications for parades and other community events.
C.E.M.P. has continued to grow both in its members and in the services it provides. The team, which strives to provide whatever the community and its respective agencies request, is composed of members who all have full-time jobs and commit themselves to giving back to the community. The team is routinely requested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Park Rangers, County Police, LA County Sheriff’s Dept and Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) for services of critical missing searches, to fire patrol, lighting for criminal investigations, traffic control, disaster response and stand-by medical for fairs, parades, and races.
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
A lot has happened in almost 60 years of service. Los Angeles is busy! As one of the largest, and certainly one of the top high-profile cities in the world, a lot is going on. Here is just a quick glance at the history of our team and what we’ve seen. Scroll using your mouse, finger or clicking/tapping the arrows to navigate.

IMAGES FROM THE PAST
Take a trip in a time machine to the people, faces, places and events from years gone by. All of the below are from the 1980s or earlier.
MAKING NEWS
C.E.M.P. members never join for the accolades. Everyone has their reasons: We do it in the spirit of giving back to the community and helping to keep our city safe. We do it for a sense of balance in our personal lives. We do it for the sense of service or pride. Whatever the reason it’s not for publicity or even a thank you. But on occasion the press does recognize the work we do, and we do appreciate it.
WEBSITE HISTORY
C.E.M.P. has been around a long time, but we also never get stale. Here’s a quick glance at the Home Pages of our website over the years. Our website partner is Your Drawing Board Website Design Services in Los Angeles. They donate their time to build and maintain our beautiful website and we appreciate their kind and generous donation.