In 1982, the LVMPD determined that it could no longer replace its failing communications system on a piecemeal basis. Funding was subsequently approved for a digital communications system upgrade that included in-car terminals. At the user level, the command-driven terminals were highly desired by police officers to inquire on Nevada license plates and local wanted persons without dispatcher intervention. At the staff level, communications personnel recognized that a terminal-intensive system would resolve the problem of insufficient voice channels in the lower radio frequencies. In 1986, police officers actually began to use the in-car terminals for queries on vehicles and persons while the computer-assisted dispatch system that drove the terminals was tested. Operational, technical, process, and behavioral changes associated with in-car terminal use are discussed, along with unanticipated changes, and these changes are related to police department organizational and managerial policies. 14 references, 2 figures.