# Is it still possible to get radio scanners that will let you listen to police bands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455 "2011-12-16T22:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/41 "2019-11-25T01:44:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > And [that’s even more true now](https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Encrypted_Agencies). Numerous departments encrypt even general dispatch. Given how few entries there are in some states I can’t believe that link is in anywhere near comprehensive. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/42 "2019-11-25T04:04:38Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Are police transmissions still unencrypted (eight years later)? > [@GaryM](#): > > I’m a Ham and occasional scanner user. > > It depends on your location so far as encryption goes. It’s more likely in major metro areas where they are willing to spend the money. Even then, one can hear a mix of both. Like with that Fairfax County frequency I was listening to earlier; some transmissions were perfectly clear and others scrambled. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/43 "2019-11-25T08:34:38Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > A 2011 post noted that many police transmissions in the U.S. _are_ encrypted, including but not limited to special operations. > > And [that’s even more true now](https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Encrypted_Agencies). Numerous departments encrypt even general dispatch. Yes, but many many more don’t. It went from a very small minority of people living in areas with encrypted police departments, to merely a small minority. (The trend in Canada has been more dire for the hobby.) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/44 "2019-11-25T09:10:20Z")
ahh the one thing i miss about grandmas house she always had the scanner on and it livened up many a dull night while playing cards… and there were beginning to be scrambled signals last time i listened in the mid 90s of course we lived in semi-rural indiana so youd get some drunk fool riding his milk cow home from the bar … or cletus started a bar fight over someone bad mouthing hank williams or becuase i was related to 40 percent of the county a few relatives would get picked up occasionaly or like my distant cousin who had to have his baby delivered on the way to the er…only problem was his wife was staying with grandma and was neither expecting or amused…needless to say she didnt go home too quickly i might look up some of the apps tho ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/45 "2019-11-25T10:39:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Radio shack has always… [VOICEOVER]_Twas then that our hero knew it was a zombie…_[/VOICEOVER] ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/46 "2019-11-25T12:56:14Z")
Ah , scanners. I remember the good old days before digital spread spectrum. You could listen to cordless and cellular phone conversations and it was legal at the time. Dumbass drug dealers would jabber away about their business on them unbeknownst their every word was being monitored, no warrant needed at the time. There is a police radio system called “Open Sky” that I don’t believe can be monitored. Scanner enthusiasts hate it and police and fire fighters hate it because there are so many damn bugs in the system. > [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > I understand, however what about privacy issues? If its transmitted in the clear then everyone knows everyones business. > > For example, a callsign gets a transmission to attend an ongoing domestic incident. They have to know the specific address they’re going to, the occupants therein, and if they have any previous history _(for example the person is aggressive towards police or has access to a firearm)_. And so on. > > It sounds like a perfect tool for nosy neighbours! The United States is pretty much an open records country. With few exceptions one can walk into a police department and run a name or address through the open records computer and find what activity happened where and to who. We can also go into the court house and look at anyone’s court records, civil or criminal. If you’ve dealt with the authorities here there isn’t much right to privacy. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/47 "2019-11-25T14:26:06Z")
Semi related. My local paper prints lists of the local Sheriff and city police activity weekly. They don’t list the address, but most of the streets are small enough you could easily figure out the location. Additionally, the Sheriff lists the arrest reports on their FB page. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2019, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/48 "2019-11-26T02:01:38Z")
When I was a kid, my dad was a policeman in Kansas City, MO. But one of his additional jobs was doing live traffic reporting for a local radio station WDAF every morning and afternoon. But he didn’t do this from a helicopter or plane, instead he did it from the upstairs bathroom. He had a couple of radios and a scanner set to police frequencies. He’d listen to the police chatter about responding to wrecks and traffic backups, jotting down the facts, as well as the other traffic reporters (in case they saw something the police had missed - which didn’t happen very often) then would call into the station and extemporize a report every 15 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2019, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/49 "2019-11-26T03:01:18Z")
This site has has live feeds from around the U.S. [https://www.broadcastify.com/](https://www.broadcastify.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/50 "2019-11-28T06:36:05Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > This site has has live feeds from around the U.S. [https://www.broadcastify.com/](https://www.broadcastify.com/) Many thanks! Listening to the Illinois State Police on there. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455/51 "2019-11-29T01:21:38Z")
Little Rock PD encrypted a few years ago. They set up a police log web site to offer limited public information. Unfortunately it clears every 8 hours. Other cities may offer something similar. [https://clrweb.littlerock.state.ar.us/pub/public\_menu.php](https://clrweb.littlerock.state.ar.us/pub/public_menu.php) North Little Rock PD offers their own scanner online with a 30 min delay. That’s a very good solution. Public gets access without interfering with the officer’s work. > **[North Little Rock Police Dispatch 1 Live Audio Feed](https://m.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/18094)** > > North Little Rock Police Dispatch 1 Live Audio Feed on Broadcastify.com [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-get-radio-scanners-that-will-let-you-listen-to-police-bands/606455.md?page=2)