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Are US police radio still broadcasting unencrypted on public frequencies ? I know for a fact eavesdropping is forbidden in some european countries and the broad

Are US police radio still broadcasting unencrypted on public frequencies ? I know for a fact eavesdropping is forbidden in some european countries and the broadcasts are encrypted in some.

closeparen 9y ago
Yes, with some exceptions. We lean much more heavily towards open/public records and “sunshine is the best disinfectant” than privacy. The ability of an independent press to observe and audit police activity is considered by many (myself included) to be foundational to liberal democracy.
- cjrp 9y ago
  Unless they're broadcasting "just planting some drugs on this suspect, over", having the transmissions unencrypted probably isn't a very useful way of auditing police activity.
  - closeparen 9y ago
    The point is that deployment of police power to a particular location/situation becomes public record immediately and unconditionally, and the press can (and does) follow up on it. Police getting to operate in secret is a dangerous road to go down. Same reason that the names of suspects who get arrested are public. It might suck for their future reputations, but the alternative is a world where the police get to make people disappear.
  - gozur88 9y ago
    On the contrary, there have been several high profile incidents where police radio traffic was used to demonstrate ill intent. It's difficult to use a tool day in, day out like that without getting complacent. Open radio also makes it more likely the news media is there when the action is still happening instead of giving cops time to paper over their mistakes.
toomanybeersies 9y ago
Just as an interesting anecdote about laws regarding listening to police radio. In New Zealand, it's not illegal to listen to police radio (although a lot of it is not digital and encrypted), however, it is illegal to act on information gained from listening to it. I don't know exactly how this works in regards to journalists using police scanners, but I've never heard of anyone getting prosecuted for that sort of thing.

Are US police radio still broadcasting unencrypted on public frequencies ? I know for a fact eavesdropping is forbidden in some european countries and the broadcasts are encrypted in some.

closeparen 9y ago

Yes, with some exceptions. We lean much more heavily towards open/public records and “sunshine is the best disinfectant” than privacy. The ability of an independent press to observe and audit police activity is considered by many (myself included) to be foundational to liberal democracy.

cjrp 9y ago
Unless they're broadcasting "just planting some drugs on this suspect, over", having the transmissions unencrypted probably isn't a very useful way of auditing police activity.
- closeparen 9y ago
  The point is that deployment of police power to a particular location/situation becomes public record immediately and unconditionally, and the press can (and does) follow up on it. Police getting to operate in secret is a dangerous road to go down. Same reason that the names of suspects who get arrested are public. It might suck for their future reputations, but the alternative is a world where the police get to make people disappear.
- gozur88 9y ago
  On the contrary, there have been several high profile incidents where police radio traffic was used to demonstrate ill intent. It's difficult to use a tool day in, day out like that without getting complacent. Open radio also makes it more likely the news media is there when the action is still happening instead of giving cops time to paper over their mistakes.

toomanybeersies 9y ago

Just as an interesting anecdote about laws regarding listening to police radio. In New Zealand, it's not illegal to listen to police radio (although a lot of it is not digital and encrypted), however, it is illegal to act on information gained from listening to it. I don't know exactly how this works in regards to journalists using police scanners, but I've never heard of anyone getting prosecuted for that sort of thing.