How does Poli​ce Radio work?

How does Police Radio work?

Police radios devices enable the cops to reach out on the road to the scene of crime at a far faster rate than they would have, if they had left from the station on receiving a cry for help. Read on to know more about these live radio scanners…

Mahatma Gandhi said that there is no law court bigger than one’s conscience, however things are different when it comes to the real world. Citizens from all across America are listening in to police and fire actions, robberies, assault, shootings, and much more in their area using a police scanner. If things have to be in place, is it required to have something other than just moral obligation? So, what exactly is a live police scanner? Well, it is an ordinary scanner, which can receive and transmit wireless radio signals similar to an AM/FM radio. The only difference is that these scanners are used solely for the purpose of police broadcasts, which is relayed on a specified frequency.

Some of the signals that can be caught on a police scanner are Police signals, Air Traffic Control signals, Air Shows signals, Highway Patrol signals, Space Shuttle communications, News Media signals, Beach Patrol signals and many more. It all depends on how advanced and how many signals can your scanner tune into. Also, scanners can pick up signals from as short a distance as a few feet while others can pick up signals from thousands of miles away. A standard scanner can generally pick up signals in a 25 miles radius. Further, accessories like antennas or external speakers can be used to enhance the features of your scanner.

Although it is a known fact that criminals do have access to police scanners illegally, the following set of people can legally keep a scanner with them:
Law abiding citizens
Family of Police officers and Firefighters
News media organizations
Neighborhood Watch Groups
Regional/National Emergency Disaster Groups
I think that these scanners are really very beneficial to Neighborhood Watch Groups. If they catch something happening in their area, everybody can be immediately alerted so that further disaster is avoided. The scanners can also provide information about any major disaster that strike with almost no warning like earthquakes and hurricanes. 

If you are using a police scanner, then it is important to learn the 10-codes. The codes may vary from one police department to another however most of the codes are standard. Below is a list of some of the most common codes used on the police scanners:

10-0: Caution
10-4: Message received, understood
10-7: Officer is out of service
10-8: Officer is in service and available for assignment
10-15: Prisoner is in custody
10-19: Returning to the station
10-32: Drowning
10-33: Alarm sounding: audible
10-37: Identify operator
10-43: Call a doctor
10-50: Subject is under the influence of narcotics
10-51: Subject is drunk
10-54: Possible dead body
10-56: Suicide
10-61: Miscellaneous public service
10-66: Suspicious person reported
10-67: Somebody is calling for help
10-72: Knifing
10-79: Bomb threat
10-91: Barking dog
10-91L: Animal, leash law violation
10-97: Arrived at the scene
Apart from the 10-codes, the codes that are relayed on the police scanners are the 11-codes, penal codes, color codes and medical/fire status codes. The information about these codes is freely available over the Internet. But, then it is again important to remember that these codes may vary between departments.

Frequency directories are available on Internet and general radio shacks, which provide a complete set of frequencies that you can tune to in your city. Although, frequencies do not change often, it is always wise to keep the latest copy of frequency directory handy.

St. Joseph News reported that ‘Citizens with scanners are a valuable resource for the police department. Many times information has come from people with scanners that has led to crimes being solved’. Despite this, it is very sad that now a day, people are using police radio scanners for personal enjoyment. They compare it to a weird, unvarnished reality show that is very addicting and exciting as the scanner plays out information about life and death situations. As a matter of fact, in many cities a police scanner is not required to tune into the police frequencies. Further, there are hundreds of live police radio feeds that are streamed over the Internet. All you have to do is to click on the city of your choice and start listening.

Are the live radio scanners a boon or an entertainment device for the bored? I guess the answer to this question lies on the intelligence of the person who owns a live police scanner. The ideal situation would be self-governance without any police radio, however at present it seems like some dream…

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