Well . . . maybe. What Lara Logan said sparked my interest. Maybe she's wrong, but IF she is right, wouldn't it be intriguing to intercept the signals?
Think of it as a signals intelligence problem. Let's suppose that you suspect that there are possibly some people not just acting randomly in these riots, and they are using radio to coordinate their efforts. How would you (or me) detect their signals?
Look, I've been involved with and written about radio for decades (PopComm, MT, Passport To World Band Radio, QST), but at the same time I'll admit that I'm a total newb at this scanner thing (I just started scanning a short while ago), but it strikes me that this might be a classic scanner problem. You would expect police, fire, ems, maybe national guard to be there. And maybe the people who are possibly coordinating folks at the riot are using FRS, GMRS, MURS (as one responder suggested) or maybe they are bootlegging some frequencies. Maybe there is the possibility that their signals would stick out like a sore thumb if they are using spectrum where they are not supposed to be.
Further, I thought that maybe . . . just maybe . . . one of the old hands here who is close to the action might give this some thought.
Or another possibility is that this is just a goofy idea. I won't be offended if you say so.
Cheers, Jock