MI - Police scanners go silent

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DPike

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Eight more public safety agencies have made the switch to a $42 million digital system that improves communication between first responders but shuts out the public. The police and fire departments of Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Royal Oak began using the Harris R.F. Open Sky technology in the last month. Birmingham, Beverly Hills and the Oakland County Sheriff's Department will be next.

See whole story here;
Police scanners go silent - Daily Tribune: Breaking news coverage for southeastern Oakland County, Michigan
 
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Jeepboy7568

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Bummer. . .

I have been listening to all of those cities Police and Fire on my Radio Shack Pro-75 for a year and a half now. Now I won't be able to, and what is this new "Open Sky Technology" ?
 

Jimmy252

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Oakland County, MI
Coming from a law enforcement viewpoint, im not a fan of not being able to scan neighboring cities. Im with livonia PD, and when this Open Sky reaches Farmington Hills, we wont be able to listen to their dispatch channels.

Our vehicles are equipped with Pro-2096s. On them we have all of the neighboring cities, and we actively scan them during our shifts, just incase another dispatch center puts out a BOL, or a hot call, or even officers needing assistance.

This just recently happened. While scanning Westland, an officer needs help call went out, LPD officers were close to the westland border, and near the call, so they were able to jump on it quickly.

HOWEVER, if the same thing occured in Farmington Hills, we wont be able to hear the help call over Open Sky. We could be a hop skip and a jump away from the incident, and in position to provide assistance, but since our scanners dont scan open sky, we wouldnt know anyone was in danger.

I can name many instances where the scanners in the police cars helped in the capture of people. For example, we knew of a drunk driver coming toward our city, and were able to sit on it until the vehicle passed. open sky would restrict police department abilities to do that. Such info would have to be transmitted from dispatch center to dispatch center, then onto the officers, which kills a lot of time which allows the suspects to escape.

Overall, i think its in the best interest to have an open sky capable scanner, because it truly does assist other officers from other cities. Having radio traffic blocked from us just is not good, nor practical. Just my opinion though
 
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jobes

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See the Wiki for OpenSky info.

Transparency huh
 
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iMONITOR

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Tell them to let you know how OpenSky is working for them! With lives on the line, they need to rethink their strategy.
 

markab

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I wonder when police departments such as these go to a secure radio network if they offer the local media appropriately equipped radios so that they can continue to monitor their operations?

Mark
 

mikepdx

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...we wont be able to hear the help call over Open Sky. We could be a hop skip and a jump away from the incident, and in position to provide assistance, but since our scanners dont scan open sky, we wouldnt know anyone was in danger...

And the whole bloody multi-million dollar system is touted as THE solution to interoperability.
 

rdale

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I wonder when police departments such as these go to a secure radio network if they offer the local media appropriately equipped radios so that they can continue to monitor their operations?

So far I think it's happened every time the media has asked for one... My guess it that the Detroit stations aren't going to care enough to bother trying.
 

Bucephalus

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Thought Michigan was Bankrupt.

coming from Florida, our Gov approved from a billion dollar mono rail system that will run through the state. At a time when money is short, what gives? I love Michigan but don't think I will ever move back.
 

WX4JCW

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Coming from a law enforcement viewpoint, im not a fan of not being able to scan neighboring cities. Im with livonia PD, and when this Open Sky reaches Farmington Hills, we wont be able to listen to their dispatch channels.

Our vehicles are equipped with Pro-2096s. On them we have all of the neighboring cities, and we actively scan them during our shifts, just incase another dispatch center puts out a BOL, or a hot call, or even officers needing assistance.

This just recently happened. While scanning Westland, an officer needs help call went out, LPD officers were close to the westland border, and near the call, so they were able to jump on it quickly.

HOWEVER, if the same thing occured in Farmington Hills, we wont be able to hear the help call over Open Sky. We could be a hop skip and a jump away from the incident, and in position to provide assistance, but since our scanners dont scan open sky, we wouldnt know anyone was in danger.

I can name many instances where the scanners in the police cars helped in the capture of people. For example, we knew of a drunk driver coming toward our city, and were able to sit on it until the vehicle passed. open sky would restrict police department abilities to do that. Such info would have to be transmitted from dispatch center to dispatch center, then onto the officers, which kills a lot of time which allows the suspects to escape.

Overall, i think its in the best interest to have an open sky capable scanner, because it truly does assist other officers from other cities. Having radio traffic blocked from us just is not good, nor practical. Just my opinion though


I wish everyone in law enforcement had this attitude
 

iMONITOR

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Eight more public safety agencies have made the switch to a $42 million digital system that improves communication between first responders but shuts out the public. The police and fire departments of Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Royal Oak began using the Harris R.F. Open Sky technology in the last month. Birmingham, Beverly Hills and the Oakland County Sheriff's Department will be next.

See whole story here;
Police scanners go silent - Daily Tribune: Breaking news coverage for southeastern Oakland County, Michigan


Your title is very misleading. It's not like the entire State Of Michigan is doing this. Far from it. It's a very small portion of S.E. Michigan, in the L.P.
 

2wayfreq

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The days of going down to Radio Shack and buying a scanner to listen to PDs are numbered. Also, the days of the Sheriff's department and PDs handing a radio over to the press are numbered, especially if they are encrypted. That would be construed as compromising public safety voice security, whick will be part of poilcy not to violate.I'm not agreenig with it but thats the way its headed.
 

yardbird

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Just like everything else.

Screw the honest man.

It is getting to be that trying to listening to a scanner as a hobby is soon going to be illegal.

Or better yet, it is going to get so expensive that nobody will be able to afford the techology.

Just my thoughts.

David
 

idontknow82

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Wisconsin
Thats real nice to charge everyone on there phone bills, as I read in the link. Those people got screwed royally big time. You have to pay for this, but you can't listen to it. Guess there taxpayers are all criminals according to them. Stop this digital madness, there is nothing wrong with analog.
 
N

N_Jay

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Thats real nice to charge everyone on there phone bills, as I read in the link.
It is very common to use a fee or tax on telecommunications to fund public safety communications.
Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Those people got screwed royally big time.
Why?
There are millions of things our taxes and government fees pay for.
It does not in any way give any of us any rights to those assets, items, or services.
This has been discussed many times before.

You have to pay for this, but you can't listen to it.
Yep, and we paid for the Presidents dinner, but we don't get to eat it either.
Your point?

Guess there taxpayers are all criminals according to them.
How do you figure?
Where do you see anyone saying that?

Stop this digital madness,
I think that may be the quote of the year. :roll: NOT

there is nothing wrong with analog.
I guess you had better get a job in system design, because you obviously know more then anyone in the field.:roll::roll:
 

rcvmo

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Romulus, Mi.
There is the option for Open Sky to communicate with neighboring analogue conventional and trunked systems, digital or not.
On the issue of media not being able to monitor, they could go like Jax S.O. in Fla. which has a licensed one way VHF TX for all media to monitor.
rcvmo
 

rdale

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The days of going down to Radio Shack and buying a scanner to listen to PDs are numbered.

They've been numbered for 50 years, so this doesn't change anything.

Also, the days of the Sheriff's department and PDs handing a radio over to the press are numbered

No they aren't. It's pretty much a requirement.

I'm not agreenig with it but thats the way its headed.

Evidence proves otherwise, but I'm willing to be convinced if you have something that goes against what we know so far...
 

billforbush

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Presque Isle, MI
Interoperability

And the whole bloody multi-million dollar system is touted as THE solution to interoperability.

The prevailing answer to interoperability across the state and certainly in SE MIchigan is migration to the MPSCS system. Oakland is the only county in the SE Michigan UASI area that has gone a different direction, The technology may be impressive, and I hope it works well for them, but it is not nearly as interoperable as following the APCO-25 standard. Just my $ .02.
 
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