I was told this week that the Russellville Police Department provides the newsroom of The Courier (the local newspaper in Russellville) a special radio to monitor their encrypted radio traffic. Does anyone know if the Little Rock PD, N Little Rock PD, or Bryant PD allow the local press to monitor their encrypted radio traffic?
Press access to enc police traffic
- Thread starter wbswetnam
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If I were betting like other towns have done they give them a RX only radio with dispatch only and that is all they get.
Conventional they most likley lock the codeplug, simple programming, no ids, no scan, primary talkgroup and or primary event. If anything if scan was enabled it would have primary fire, ems nothing more nothing less no fancy add on channels.
Trunked same concept, primary only with primary fire or ems scan possibly enabled or disabled. Depends. Code plug locked and radio DOES affiliate with its own I'd on system and can be killed anytime in both type of systems. Rx only on talkgroups but registering with system. Along with ours I have seen others and it isn't anything spectacular other then the radio receives basic traffic and the enc traffic and sits in a news room, typically large entity who pays a subscriber fee to listen in or other costs associated. Some get lucky and one is loaned over no cost but most sign life sway and understand at any moment the radio can go dead.
Some may have a admin tech check these devices at anytime and if tempering is found they'll be removed from all of them who have one. Has happened before. Over all it isn't a mass codeplug with state, city, county, tacs, interops next door etc. Basic at best rx only and watched by the system.
Trunked same concept, primary only with primary fire or ems scan possibly enabled or disabled. Depends. Code plug locked and radio DOES affiliate with its own I'd on system and can be killed anytime in both type of systems. Rx only on talkgroups but registering with system. Along with ours I have seen others and it isn't anything spectacular other then the radio receives basic traffic and the enc traffic and sits in a news room, typically large entity who pays a subscriber fee to listen in or other costs associated. Some get lucky and one is loaned over no cost but most sign life sway and understand at any moment the radio can go dead.
Some may have a admin tech check these devices at anytime and if tempering is found they'll be removed from all of them who have one. Has happened before. Over all it isn't a mass codeplug with state, city, county, tacs, interops next door etc. Basic at best rx only and watched by the system.
n5ims
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Many agencies all across the US provide the local press the option to lease a system radio to allow them to monitor the calls to aid them in reporting on local news events. There is a very strict legal document that must be signed to allow them access to this radio and since it's a lease, the agency can pull the radio at any time and for any reason. This radio is programmed for a very limited group of channels and is programmed for receive only (although it may transmit to allow it to affiliate with the system if necessary, the radio will not transmit how most folks would use the word 'transmit').
Don't think that they could use their own software to make clones of the radio either. They generally are given very specific radio ID numbers that are closely tracked by the system and any detected abuse is quickly dealt with using the kill command. There have even been cases where the actual radio is located in a secure location, such as in the dispatch center, and only the radio audio is sent out to the press room over leased phone lines (paid for by the press). This provides the agency with complete control over what is monitored since there is no ability to change the channel or do anything but adjust the volume (recording may be allowed though depending on the contract between the press room and the agency).
Don't think that they could use their own software to make clones of the radio either. They generally are given very specific radio ID numbers that are closely tracked by the system and any detected abuse is quickly dealt with using the kill command. There have even been cases where the actual radio is located in a secure location, such as in the dispatch center, and only the radio audio is sent out to the press room over leased phone lines (paid for by the press). This provides the agency with complete control over what is monitored since there is no ability to change the channel or do anything but adjust the volume (recording may be allowed though depending on the contract between the press room and the agency).
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