From the Journal Sentinel Online:
"The [Milwaukee police] department's digital radio system, known as OpenSky, became fully operational in early February, replacing the department's analog system and leaving scanner listeners in the dark. Milwaukee police have no plans to make their broadcasts available to the public again, primarily because of concerns about officer safety, department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said."
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/87731882.html
Traditonally, news sources have relied on police and fire scanners to pick up on breaking stories. And there is also a loyal following among some listeners.
I thought it was great when I realized that the local police scanner is available online, but I haven't listened that much lately. I'm not sure how I feel about the public being unable to listen to digital police radio transmissions. I can understand officer safety concerns, but I also know that they have a secure analog channel that they switch to when the need arises. As one guy in the story said, I've never heard the police announce a drug raid while I was listening to the scanner.
I grew up next door to a family that had a scanner on 24 hours a day. The father was a fireman. Even when they watched TV, the scanner would be on in the kitchen, the volume low. Maybe it's something I've just taken for granted all these years. I suspect, though, that digital scanners will be out in one form or another, legal or illegal, before too long. It's almost impossible to stay ahead of the technology.
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2 comments:
You raise very good questions, orbs. I remember when Telecable had the scanner broadcast on the local station. If you heard a big to-do of sirens, you could tune in to find out what was going on.
I do understand that the world is not the same as it used to be. It is so much more dangerous to be a police officer than it used to be. Protecting them needs to be the utmost importance.
We also need honesty in reporting, something we don't seem to have. Isn't the instance of crime in a city supposed to be open for public knowledge without selective reporting?
I think people are getting their undies in a bundle for all the wrong reasons. The reason for the change is because of the more efficient technology. That's the primary reason. The security of communications because of encription is a secondary benefit. More information can be put in a single transmission when digital emissions are used. Currently analog radio and computers are used in squads. Digital will allow duplexing all in one unit. When they went to trunking, some people got bent out of shape when they couldn't pick up calls on non-trunking scanner, but whola trunking scanners came out on the market. Heck I've been toying with the idea of replacing my analog amatuer 2 meter radio with a digital.
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