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Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

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Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#161

Post by topspin »

renewiltord wrote: post #153
protomyth wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, this is a couple decades ago - so the play-by-play is a bit lost, one cop at a locally infamous speed trap after dark started seeing a light in the woods near the road. He reported it over the radio, and speculated it might be someone spotlighting deer. Hunting deer at night is very, very illegal as the deer freeze when the light is shined at them. He didn't hear shots, but was understandably reluctant to pursu…

Why is the deer freezing a problem? Wouldn't that be desirable? Less likelihood of a missed shot, etc.

It's considered unsporting and is a poaching technique. Yes, some game animals will stare into a light not understanding the threat, but the real reason spotlights are effective is eyeshine; the light reflected from the eyes of game animals makes them easy to find at night.

There are many effective techniques that are not permitted when hunting game.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#162

Post by renewiltord »

topspin wrote: post #161
renewiltord wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is the deer freezing a problem? Wouldn't that be desirable? Less likelihood of a missed shot, etc.

It's considered unsporting and is a poaching technique. Yes, some game animals will stare into a light not understanding the threat, but the real reason spotlights are effective is eyeshine; the light reflected from the eyes of game animals makes them easy to find at night. There are many effective techniques that are not permitted when hunting game.

Oh I see. I just didn't realize that that was codified into law so that police would stop you from doing that. Would have figured it had more than just unsporting as a reason.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#163

Post by tzs »

simcop2387 wrote: post #82
shadowgovt wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the United States, no. Police, emergency, first responder radio transmissions are generally in the clear. I don't know the precise history of it, but I have always assumed it is a combination of legacy (emergency radio in the United States is very old, and predates cheap and convenient electronic encryption standards), compatibility (first responder funding and maintenance in the United States is generally a local…

This is starting to change, but it does take time since it usually requires replacing hundreds of radios at one time and a bunch of additional training on how to use the new radios properly.

Can't they run a newer encrypted system on separate channels than the older system is using, with some kind of repeater set up between the two?

You'd need to upgrade at the base station upfront to have both the old and new systems, and add a repeater, but you could then take your time replacing the radios in the field instead of having to replace them all at once.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#164

Post by lozaning »

xxpor wrote: post #120
lozaning wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get a Hack RF or other SDR and then just run Unitrunker on a computer.

Don't you need at least 2 to track trunked systems?

You need two rtl-sdr, but one hack-rf can grab enough of the spectrum that only one is required. One of the benefits of p25 is that it's very spectrum efficient so I get all 18 channels.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#165

Post by tzs »

blantonl wrote: post #2

Hi there! I'm the owner and operator of Broadcastify, which is the platform that powers all the apps that provide police scanners and public safety communications online. I'm an active HN reader and would be glad to answer any questions folks have. It's an interesting business to be in these days...

In a few states it is illegal to use a police scanner while operating a motor vehicle unless you have a license from the FCC or permission from local law enforcement.

Do any of those states consider those laws to apply to using one of those apps?

PS: for those who live in one of those states (Indiana, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, and New York) a ham radio license counts, and the entry level ham license (Technician) is not very hard to get.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#166

Post by eli »

AuthorizedCust wrote: post #160
ISL wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would seem reasonable to be able to FOIA the encryption keys in US locations where it is encrypted.

FOIA is a federal law. Each state has its own law. For example, Texas's is the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA). The standards could vary state by state.

All of them have pretty broad law enforcement exemptions.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#167

Post by jmm5 »

protomyth wrote: post #115
wyldfire wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Hunting deer at night is very, very illegal as the deer freeze when the light is shined at them. Is that really the rationale? I would think risk of accidentally harming humans or property would significantly increase at night.

Its a combination, that's one of the big rationals I've always heard. Also, enforcement of rules would be really painful at night. It probably would be very dangerous to be out there with some of the idiots who think they are hunters.

Same reason you can’t just set up a salt lick in your back yard and camp out.

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#169

Post by haram_masala »

totorovirus wrote: post #168

Now US doesn't have right to slander china's public surveilance

Huh? These are private citizens monitoring the police, which is pretty much the opposite of the Chinese surveillance you’re referring to. In fact it’s pretty much an antimetabole (“In the United States, people spy on cops!”).

Re: Thousands are monitoring police scanners during the George Floyd protests

#170

Post by cwkoss »

Simulacra wrote: post #3

Most of our local departments use encrypted radios. "Over the past few years, an increasing number of municipalities and police departments, including the District’s, have begun encrypting their radioed communications.."[1.] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/last-of-t...

Does anyone have information about how frequently keys are rotated or exchanged? Seems like keeping 100 radios on the same channel could be hard to do without the potential for human error to leak some data - cops aren't typically very tech savvy.
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