In July 1998, the Pacifica Police Department received a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to purchase a radar warning trailer. In 2000, the department received additional grant funding from OTS for the purchase of a second radar warning trailer.

In 2013, both trailers were retired from service. The department received a grant from OTS for the purchase of a state of the art combination radar warning trailer/variable message board. The unit has the capability of warning motorists of their speed, counting vehicles traveling on the roadway, and recording this information for retrieval. This information is useful for analyzing speeds on a roadway to determine if enforcement is needed for public safety.

The message board function of the unit provides a method to inform the public of upcoming events, pending road closures, or other information important to the community.