Polics scannerz4/15/2023 ![]() The two groups have held at least four face-to-face meetings since that time to figure out the terms of the agreement. Since October, Denver Police and representatives from various media outlets have been holding meetings to discuss the possibility of keeping that scanner traffic open to newsrooms for reporting purposes. Journalists use the scanners to find out about breaking news, respond to emergency situations, follow crime trends and more. However, as DPD’s radio equipment began to age and with rise of new technology, the department decided to upgrade.Īfter the new communications system was put in, the department made the move to encrypt the scanners as well. In the past, agencies only encrypted tactical channels used to relay strategic information to officers and others. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at See more 360 stories here.ĭENVER - Last month, the Denver Police Department joined dozens of other agencies around Colorado and across the country when it encrypted its radios, blocking the public from being able to listen in on all communications. If you have any questions about police scanners, or any other communication question, contact the knowledgeable Nevada attorneys at Parry & Pfau.Editor's Note: Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. ![]() Beyond police communications, these scanner apps often can also provide access to fire and other emergency services as well as railway communications, aviation transmissions, and amateur radio broadcasts among others. Because a smartphone cannot tune into radio transmissions, the app provides access to the scanner transmissions via the internet. Scanner apps that allow you to listen in on emergency service communications falls under a gray area of the law. These police scanner apps essentially turn your smartphone into a radio scanner, providing easy access to these emergency service communications. Just like police scanners are akin to radios that are designed to tap into the frequencies used by local emergency services, police scanner apps allow you to listen to both local and regional emergency service communications through your smartphone. Although the details of the laws in these various states differ slightly, the basic concept is the same: If you use a police scanner to monitor the police while you are committing a crime, you can be charged with further penalties and jail time for using the police scanner above and beyond what you are charged for in the underlying crime. The states where local laws restrict the use of a police scanner in furtherance of a crime include California, New Jersey, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Nebraska and West Virginia. Most of the statutes in these states not only cover police scanners, but also police scanner apps. The purpose of these laws is to keep users from listening to police communications in an effort to avoid speed traps. Although the details of the laws in these various states differ slightly, the basic concept is that you cannot use a police scanner while operating a vehicle in any of these states. The states that restrict the use of a police scanner while driving include Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, and Minnesota. The use of a police scanner in furtherance of a crime. The use of a police scanner while driving and The restrictions imposed vary greatly from state to state because police scanner restrictions are governed by state and not federal law. ![]() Restrictions on Police ScannersĮven though listening to radio bands on police scanners is legal in the U.S., there are two types of restrictions on these scanners. All other radio frequencies are considered public. That being said, there are some radio bandwidths that are blocked on scanners, like cell phones and military bands, because privacy is presumed. Therefore, information being sent over these public airwaves does not benefit from privacy, an idea that was established within this context by the 1934 Communications Act. This is because airwaves in America are public property. ![]() It is legal to own and operate police scanners in the United States. A police scanner is akin to a radio that is specifically designed to tune into the radio frequencies used by the local emergency services, including law enforcement. ![]()
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