Requested: Documented Cases of Civilian Scanner Listeners Helping LEO/Fire

[Anime]

Hi there, apart of my attempt to gather evidence to show the benefits of open scanner traffic(dispatch only, obviously), I am looking for news articles or PD/FD Facebook/Twitter post that mention a situation where someone listening to their radio traffic ended up helping them. Such as hearing a suspects description on the air, seeing that suspect and calling 911. Or a stolen car being spotted by someone overhearing the radio traffic(PD almost never let the public know of stolen cars, oddly). Or maybe coming to the aid of an officer in need they heard over the radio. And so on. The more cases, the better.

I've heard of these cases but never thought to keep them. I do remember hearing the radio traffic from 2016 after two Des Moines Police officers who were murdered. in that audio, police dispatch put out a plea over the main channel to "any citizens listening to our traffic" to call them if they have any information or have seen anything. So yeah.

 

[n6hgg]

I was a central factor in catching a hit-and-run fatal drunk driver by hearing the call go on my vehicle scanner, and then spotting the guy and calling the police while I kept him in sight. They nailed him and he ended up in prison. The victim who died was 17 years old. I spent some time with an investigator after the fact, retracing the driving route and making myself available for Testimony in the upcoming trial at the time. I never got subpoenaed to testify.

There are so many cop haters out there now, I can't blame them for shutting us out. Those poor guys don't get paid enough money to do what they do. Whatever they can do to make their job easier is fine with me I don't care if I can't hear them anymore. God love 'em.

 

[Citywide173]

Just hoping to get some decent shots of the arrival of the first due companies for this site.

Neighbors and EMT save Mass. boy from fire

EMT Ed Burke was on his way to a training session when he heard the emergency call

www.ems1.com

 

[west-pac]

I was a central factor in catching a hit-and-run fatal drunk driver by hearing the call go on my vehicle scanner, and then spotting the guy and calling the police while I kept him in sight. They nailed him and he ended up in prison. The victim who died was 17 years old. I spent some time with an investigator after the fact, retracing the driving route and making myself available for Testimony in the upcoming trial at the time. I never got subpoenaed to testify.

There are so many cop haters out there now, I can't blame them for shutting us out. Those poor guys don't get paid enough money to do what they do. Whatever they can do to make their job easier is fine with me I don't care if I can't hear them anymore. God love 'em.

The OP asked "documented" cases. You offered a personal account, without public documentation. That's not what the OP wants.

--

I feel like this thread will be full of "I heard...", "I saw...", and absolutely no public documentation.

 

[GTR8000]

Certified EMT's are civilians? Maybe that explains why EMS gets little respect as compared with fire/police. Or maybe just a bit of "look at me, I'm special".

 

[west-pac]

Just hoping to get some decent shots of the arrival of the first due companies for this site.

Neighbors and EMT save Mass. boy from fire

EMT Ed Burke was on his way to a training session when he heard the emergency call

www.ems1.com

That is not a documented story about a scanner saving the day, as requested by the OP. That story is about an off-duty public safety official listening to their dept-issued radio. That situation will still happen after the local area goes to an encrypted radio system.

 

[Hit_Factor]

The OP asked "documented" cases. You offered a personal account, without public documentation. That's not what the OP wants.

I bet dispatch records, police reports have something about the assistance. Could be many other records, news articles.

What level of documentation have you decided the OP needs?

The OP now has one contact, where, if he chooses he could request more information.

 

[west-pac]

What level of documentation have you decided the OP needs?

Straight from the OP's OP...
"I am looking for news articles or PD/FD Facebook/Twitter post that mention a situation where someone listening to their radio traffic ended up helping them."

I'm not sure why you think that needs further clarification.

 

[buddrousa]

In other words agency documented facts.

 

[KK4JUG]

Let me play Devil's Advocate for a minute. How 'bout collecting incidents where suspects have been caught with scanners as some sort of comparison of whether agencies thought they were justified in going the encryption route? That's why Columbus, GA, did it two years ago. They caught a couple of burglars listening in. I spent over 32 years with the PD and that's the only incident I'm familiar with here since 1975. It happened after I retired.

 

[trentbob]

Hi there, apart of my attempt to gather evidence to show the benefits of open scanner traffic(dispatch only, obviously), I am looking for news articles or PD/FD Facebook/Twitter post that mention a situation where someone listening to their radio traffic ended up helping them. Such as hearing a suspects description on the air, seeing that suspect and calling 911. Or a stolen car being spotted by someone overhearing the radio traffic(PD almost never let the public know of stolen cars, oddly). Or maybe coming to the aid of an officer in need they heard over the radio. And so on. The more cases, the better.

I've heard of these cases but never thought to keep them. I do remember hearing the radio traffic from 2016 after two Des Moines Police officers who were murdered. in that audio, police dispatch put out a plea over the main channel to "any citizens listening to our traffic" to call them if they have any information or have seen anything. So yeah.

Hi... What you're looking for is going to be extremely difficult. It'll also be very incomplete. There is no clearinghouse of information like this, nationwide..

In my years as a newspaper man, the majority spent as a photojournalist like you, reporter and editor I used my police monitors to assist the police hundreds of times, missing persons, theft of service, suspicious occurrences, reporting car accidents, finding evidence, stumbling on a bank robbery, drug deals, gang activity, reports of stakeout findings and murder... We always went out of our way not to be involved in police reports or in the newspaper. Usually it would just be a quote that "witnesses reported".

The only reason these incidents happened was because I was out there on the lookout because of my job.

Again it's going to be very hard to compile a true accurate and total account of what you're looking for.

 

[west-pac]

Again it's going to be very hard to compile a true accurate and total account of what you're looking for.

You stumbled onto something. The OP should research Missing Children/people calls, not Amber Alerts (Amber Alerts are disseminated across several media platforms, not just scanners). Missing people calls being scanner listeners out of the woodwork, and offer provide a positive light for scanner listeners.

 

[MississippiPI]

I'm sure there are alot if incidents where this happened, perhaps the person chooses to remain anonymous for a variety of reasons; they might not want to toot their own horn. Perhaps the right thing was done for the right reason.

Be safe

 

[nosoup4u]

I was in a situation last year where I heard a BOLO go out for a possible drunk driver while I was just about to pull out of my parking spot at a local liquor store, as I went to look to see if the coast was clear to back up, I noticed a car matching the description to the left of me. When I looked closer it had 2 flat tires and was gushing underneath it. Long story short, I called it in and it was the car they were looking for. They arrested the driver after she came back out of the liquor store and tried to start the car.

 

[MississippiPI]

Good deal

 

[trentbob]

I hate to use this cliche but "back in the day" the police had no problem with serious hobbyist, hams, First Responders and media types having sophisticated expensive equipment and programming it to listen to police calls and did recognize the potential of those person's genuine good intentions.

In today's world anybody can hear police within seconds for free without any effort and not always with good intentions.

This can spawn weegee wanabes who race to a scene, interfere with police and fire operations, argue with the police about access while they stomp all over evidence. Then they post the pictures on public media using their own spin on what happened and not knowing any facts or confirming exactly what did happen.

Scanner listeners can help in real missing person reports, especially an elderly gentleman or toddler who got confused and lost in their neighborhood.

Again news media is a different story, I remember a missing persons report while working a shift BOLO... before search efforts actually got organized and started I canvassed the nabs... learned that he was despondent and depressed lately and he used to hang out at an isolated area down by the Delaware River. Starting there I went downstream from the area that he used to hang out at, had suspicions of what I could see in the water and police Marine units recovered the body post haste.

I have a feeling that scanner listeners have assisted over many years in helping the police but stay out of the limelight and it is often not recorded as such so I just don't see a way to compile those statistics accurately.

 

[Citywide173]

That is not a documented story about a scanner saving the day, as requested by the OP. That story is about an off-duty public safety official listening to their dept-issued radio. That situation will still happen after the local area goes to an encrypted radio system.

This is a story about me being in my personal vehicle, off duty, using the scanner that I paid for that was mounted in said vehicle. While the news article says department radio, it is not accurate. You will note the reference to "this site" in my post. I photograph fire scenes in my spare time with the intent of sharing/having them published in places like Firehouse Magazine. While I may be a public safety official, the fact remains that when off-duty, I am a member of the general public. I can refer you to plenty of police officers that have thrown me off scenes because I'm a civilian and they feel shouldn't be there. I don't leverage my job for enhanced access.

The story also ran in the Boston Herald, on WBZ-TV, New England Cable News, WCVB-TV and Fox25 Boston

 

[west-pac]

This is a story about me being in my personal vehicle, off duty, using the scanner that I paid for that was mounted in said vehicle. While the news article says department radio, it is not accurate. You will note the reference to "this site" in my post. I photograph fire scenes in my spare time with the intent of sharing/having them published in places like Firehouse Magazine. While I may be a public safety official, the fact remains that when off-duty, I am a member of the general public. I can refer you to plenty of police officers that have thrown me off scenes because I'm a civilian and they feel shouldn't be there. I don't leverage my job for enhanced access.

As a former responder myself, I understand what you're saying, but it doesn't apply to what the OP wants.

 

[wa1emt]

Certified EMT's are civilians? Maybe that explains why EMS gets little respect as compared with fire/police. Or maybe just a bit of "look at me, I'm special".

Tell me about it.

 

[wa1emt]

This is a story about me being in my personal vehicle, off duty, using the scanner that I paid for that was mounted in said vehicle. While the news article says department radio, it is not accurate. You will note the reference to "this site" in my post. I photograph fire scenes in my spare time with the intent of sharing/having them published in places like Firehouse Magazine. While I may be a public safety official, the fact remains that when off-duty, I am a member of the general public. I can refer you to plenty of police officers that have thrown me off scenes because I'm a civilian and they feel shouldn't be there. I don't leverage my job for enhanced access.

The story also ran in the Boston Herald, on WBZ-TV, New England Cable News, WCVB-TV and Fox25 Boston

Dude remove this unless you just like to look stupid