I know this seems a bit odd but my department has just had a major event and apparently people and including the criminal were listening on their phone using broadcastify and actually got away. This is mostly a problem from what I see because now it seems the police are considering encryption. I am simply using my XTS and this sort of thing has been happening to agencies everywhere. Is there any way to request someone take down a feed? I would greatly appreciate it.
How do I request a provider take one down?
- Thread starter Omie09
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You can click on REPORT A PROBLEM in Broadcastify, however there is no reason for them to remove the feed if they are within the terms of service.
The bigger question is how do you know the criminal was listening to an app on their phone and how do you know that app is using the broadcastify feed? Phone apps use other sources of feeds and law enforcement uses other reasons to go to encryption. I think you are fighting a losing battle.
The bigger question is how do you know the criminal was listening to an app on their phone and how do you know that app is using the broadcastify feed? Phone apps use other sources of feeds and law enforcement uses other reasons to go to encryption. I think you are fighting a losing battle.
I know a police officer of the department. When they began tracking his phone and said it over the radio, the phone suddenly shut down. They also received texts and such from listeners of the feed for some reason. The phone feeds like the one I’m talking about make it way too easy to listen to something that was meant to keep people just a little further from listening.
But it is legal to do, so don't expect changes from feeders any time soon, phone apps are the issue not feeders.
Yes…. That’s what I mean. But my point is taking down the feed could stop encryption. I know it’s legal and all that but that’s my point.
Taking down feeds will not stop encryption, ask all the agencies in areas where there were no feeds that went encrypted. But, hey feel free to click on report a problem and ask.
“Could” is the key factor here.
Did the officer say whether the phone shut down immediately after it went over the radio, or was there a delay of at least 30-90+ seconds? It's my understanding that BCFY puts a delay on all feeds specifically to hinder criminals' chances of evading LE by listening in - though sometimes I do wish the delay was a little longer. If the phone did shut down immediately, the person was most likely listening to an actual scanner (or had people with real scanners giving him realtime info), and no amount of feed delay or taking down feeds would've prevented it.
Was the department using a tac channel at the time? Dedicated tactical (tac, talk, car-to-car, detectives, SWAT, etc.) channels exist for situations like this, for comms that they wouldn't want going over the Dispatch or Special Events channels. For this exact reason, BCFY's feed provider TOS doesn't allow *dedicated* tactical channels to be broadcast. If the department was using a dedicated tactical channel, and the feed in question did include the tac channel, BCFY administrators would be able to remove the feed.
What *is* the feed in question, anyway? Or at least the feed's location?
mmckenna
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"Could", but unlikely.
Issues like this is one of several reasons why agencies are encrypting, I've been asked to set up encrypted channels specifically because of feeds. The bigger reason is that FBI/DOJ requires that Personal Identifying Information (PII) and Criminal Justice Information (CJI) be protected in all forms and at all times, including when transmitted over the radio. Some states/agencies are starting to take this seriously and switching to encryption on some or all channels/talkgroups.
As said above, there's nothing illegal about it. It's the agencies job to protect communications and information like that.
There was a delay of about a minute I believe. They were using dispatch channel for whatever reason. Plainfield Illinois police dispatch.
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Original poster.. as a listener of police calls first on monitors then on scanners since I was 11 or 12, that will be 60 years this fall...
Criminals are pretty stupid, that's why they're criminals, police never had an issue with First Responders, Media types, ham radio operators and serious hobbyist purchasing expensive radios that got more and more complicated to program and listening. I don't think that group of listeners has any ill intent, they have good intentions and it wasn't that many people.
I do understand your point and without going into it. Even stupid criminals can download an app.
This has caused a reaction similar to what your Police Department is feeling or should I say a reaction that you are feeling.
It is not illegal to listen to a police scanner if it's in the clear. There are no laws against a company streaming the police on an app on a phone that anybody can listen to. Whether it should be against the law is a horse of a different color and not part of this discussion. If it was outlawed then criminals could just buy the radios.
The contributor to streaming the police is not at fault. The criminals could actually buy the radios and program them, it wouldn't be any different. They would just have to spend the money and program them or find the resources to program them, a scanner vendor perhaps, and then be smart enough to be able to properly use them.
If you or your Police Department have issues with this then they should do what countless other police departments have done and that is encrypt their police broadcast then it can not be streamed or listen to by serious hobbyist, first responders, media types or good citizens that have no ulterior motives and have nothing but good intent.
That's your police departments answer to their concern. You can't just arbitrarily pick one contributor and tell them they can't stream anymore because your Police Department operates in the clear and wonders why the criminals are listening on a cell phone.
As far as police discontinuing encryption because we stream less, that's not going to happen, we're way past that point. Eventually we won't hear any police, similar to other countries.
Criminals are pretty stupid, that's why they're criminals, police never had an issue with First Responders, Media types, ham radio operators and serious hobbyist purchasing expensive radios that got more and more complicated to program and listening. I don't think that group of listeners has any ill intent, they have good intentions and it wasn't that many people.
I do understand your point and without going into it. Even stupid criminals can download an app.
This has caused a reaction similar to what your Police Department is feeling or should I say a reaction that you are feeling.
It is not illegal to listen to a police scanner if it's in the clear. There are no laws against a company streaming the police on an app on a phone that anybody can listen to. Whether it should be against the law is a horse of a different color and not part of this discussion. If it was outlawed then criminals could just buy the radios.
The contributor to streaming the police is not at fault. The criminals could actually buy the radios and program them, it wouldn't be any different. They would just have to spend the money and program them or find the resources to program them, a scanner vendor perhaps, and then be smart enough to be able to properly use them.
If you or your Police Department have issues with this then they should do what countless other police departments have done and that is encrypt their police broadcast then it can not be streamed or listen to by serious hobbyist, first responders, media types or good citizens that have no ulterior motives and have nothing but good intent.
That's your police departments answer to their concern. You can't just arbitrarily pick one contributor and tell them they can't stream anymore because your Police Department operates in the clear and wonders why the criminals are listening on a cell phone.
As far as police discontinuing encryption because we stream less, that's not going to happen, we're way past that point. Eventually we won't hear any police, similar to other countries.
This isn't going to get resolved in the forums. Your best bet is to contact the feed provider directly.
And be careful raising too much of a stink lest people start asking how you are able to program that XTS5K on a trunked system...
forums.radioreference.com
And be careful raising too much of a stink lest people start asking how you are able to program that XTS5K on a trunked system...
Motorola NAS tips?
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