Scanner reports were test, not crisis

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karldotcom

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Most of this type of stuff I hear in LA are "drill IC" or "drill command" or they announce DRILL every ten minutes.... that and you can tell by the participants voices that it is a drill...

With the advent of scanner apps on the phone every nosey-ninney in town has access to public safety comms while not having a clue what they are listening to.

I bet they announce something like that next time!
 

zerg901

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karldotcom - both the dispatchers and the public are wrong? Everyones wrong in this situation? Even the Coast Guard at the Battle of the Potomic?
 

UTLNOK

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Can remember when I started monitoring a few years ago, I heard what sounded like a SWAT operation going on at a local shopping mall, so I locked on to the channel, after a few minutes I heard "officer (so and so) had a head shot...he took it, subject two is down", another officer reported "subject one has a bomb, and is still holding a hostage in the office, then I heard "dose subject two even know he's down, he is still standing and talking", I thought AMAZING ! !...this dude just survived a head shot, from what I assume was a police sniper, and doesn't even know it...then I found out it was a training exercise...I was so confused.
 

procopper7005

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And you wonder why law enforcement administrators are encrypting everything under the sun. The worst thing to happen to scanning is live internet feeds.
 

902

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Conversely, twenty-six years ago, my town had a plane crash. I was a firefighter at the time and had a radio in my car. It was a Sunday afternoon and I thought I'd go check on a repeater site I put a GMRS repeater at. Everything was calm before I got out of the car, but I knew there was going to be an "unannounced drill" very soon. I didn't take my pager with me, but it had gone off while I was out. When I got back in the car, all hell was breaking loose on the air. I had to listen for a couple of minutes to finally figure out this was "real world" and not the drill I was expecting. If you walk in on the middle of something, you just never know what you're listening to.
 

sc800

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Encryption should not be used to hide the fact that your employees can't follow basic radio protocols.
 

APX7500X2

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Encryption should not be used to hide the fact that your employees can't follow basic radio protocols.

That’s an ignorant statement. You are listening to their radio traffic that they will operate any way they want (Yes under FCC rules). The last thing they need to worry about is people critiquing them because the scanner heads who need be herd babble on boards like this.
This is a hobby of listening not talking!
I have been listening for 30 years and love it but people here have convinced me that encryption is becoming a necessity fast
 

JoeyC

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That’s an ignorant statement. You are listening to their radio traffic that they will operate any way they want (Yes under FCC rules). The last thing they need to worry about is people critiquing them because the scanner heads who need be herd babble on boards like this.
This is a hobby of listening not talking!
I have been listening for 30 years and love it but people here have convinced me that encryption is becoming a necessity fast

I TOTALLY agree. I've been listening just as long and I LOVE the hobby. Unfortunately you are absolutely right about encryption becoming a necessity what with streaming and apps on cellphones and the continuing arrogance of some scanner enthusiasts that feel there is a right to monitoring radio comms. I wish people would shut up about whats going on over the air and preserve what little remains for many who respect the hobby.
 

zerg901

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"Arrogance" - ?????

Calling people names - tsk tsk tsk
 

sc800

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That’s an ignorant statement. You are listening to their radio traffic that they will operate any way they want (Yes under FCC rules). The last thing they need to worry about is people critiquing them because the scanner heads who need be herd babble on boards like this.
This is a hobby of listening not talking!
I have been listening for 30 years and love it but people here have convinced me that encryption is becoming a necessity fast

Ignorant scanner head... Forget being off base, you aren't even in the same county as the ballpark. Without posting my entire resume, suffice it to say that I have experience using emergency services radios in all three services, and possess state certification as a 911 dispatcher, although I am not one yet.

The point I was getting at was professionalism. It does not take any certifications or training classes to know that things like pointing out girls walking down the street, talking about how ugly complainants are, or arguing with supervisors over the radio are not professional behavior. Further, if those things are going on, the proper response is remedial training and disciplinary action for those involved, not, "Encrypt! If no one can hear us, then no one can complain/hold us accountable".
 

OpSec

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without posting my entire resume, suffice it to say that I have experience using emergency services radios in all three services, and possess state certification as a 911 dispatcher, although I am not one yet.

Fair enough, but if you haven't done the job yet then don't assume you know the job. I'm not saying you are in this case, but if a person hasn't done the job then they don't have a opinion on it.

That entire article was poorly written but it does appear that the agency needs to revise it's training protocol to use words like "exercise", "drill" or "training" on the radio when they do such things.
 

ibagli

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And you wonder why law enforcement administrators are encrypting everything under the sun. The worst thing to happen to scanning is live internet feeds.

The article doesn't say anything about live feeds, so I don't see how the Home Streaming Is Killing Scanning argument is relevant.
 

wd8chl

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Ignorant scanner head... Forget being off base, you aren't even in the same county as the ballpark. Without posting my entire resume, suffice it to say that I have experience using emergency services radios in all three services, and possess state certification as a 911 dispatcher, although I am not one yet.

The point I was getting at was professionalism. It does not take any certifications or training classes to know that things like pointing out girls walking down the street, talking about how ugly complainants are, or arguing with supervisors over the radio are not professional behavior. Further, if those things are going on, the proper response is remedial training and disciplinary action for those involved, not, "Encrypt! If no one can hear us, then no one can complain/hold us accountable".

I have done the job, and you are exactly correct. Encryption CANNOT be a substitute for poor training and discipline. Any time we do a drill on a ham frequency, not an exchange goes by that net control doesn't say something about it being a drill or a test.
And it is also true that in a free country, there is supposed to be checks and balances in place. This is one place where WE the citizens are the checks to keep the gov't in line. Someone has to be able to call them out when they get too 'high-and-mighty.'
The primary dispatch for an agency cannot EVER be encrypted. And there are very few legit reasons for anything else to be encrypted either.
 

ts548

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The primary dispatch for an agency cannot EVER be encrypted. And there are very few legit reasons for anything else to be encrypted either.

Sure it can and more and more are moving to it.
 

ts548

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Yeah and the only reason their getting away with it, is because the people who live in those towns, counties, states aren't fighting the issue.

Thats because its a loosing battle. People will never stop encryption.
 

jambo

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Thats because its a loosing battle. People will never stop encryption.


Well they will if the fight for it. "We the people" are the one's who paid for that system, and the radio's that operate on it. Those agencies didn't just wave some magic wand to get it. That's all bought and paid for by the taxpayers of this country.
 

Firebuff66

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Well they will if the fight for it. "We the people" are the one's who paid for that system, and the radio's that operate on it. Those agencies didn't just wave some magic wand to get it. That's all bought and paid for by the taxpayers of this country.

Encryption is and has to be the way of the future. I don't think the FBI/DEA/USSS will share your view on them allowing you to listen because you feel you paid for it, no diffrent from the local PD/FD/EMS.

The police can release the tapes of the comms for a week if people really want to police them.
If all the posters here not for encryption are good to their word than recordings 48 hours after would be just fine as they could listen to see if the police are hiding something and work from there.
 
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