[Scan-DC] FYI: Scanner Crack Down...

[Dorset, Thomas]

Of course, this is only happening in South Dakota!
73,
Tom
WB4J

 KSFY-TV
300 North Dakota Ave., Suite 100
Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Scanner Crack Down

Before you buy or use a scanner there is something you should know: if =
it's not
being used correctly you could be breaking the law. The law prohibiting =
unlawful
use of scanners has been around since the sixties, and police in =
Aberdeen want
people to know that it's still in effect. And if people are caught using =
a scanner
unlawfully, police will take it.

Officers use scanners to help them do their job, and police want to make =
sure
people aren't abusing them to keep them from their work. Aberdeen Police =
Sergeant
Jay Tobin explains they are not just cracking down for the fun of it, =
"It's a
safety issue and to help us do our job so people can't leave the scene =
before we
get there." He points out that anyone can have a scanner - it's where =
and how they
use it that matters. "We've seen more in vehicles now and we're letting =
people
know that there is a law that does exists that says they can be =
confiscated if we
find them in a vehicle without a permit."

The law says that anyone can have a scanner in their home, but it is =
illegal to
use one in a motor vehicle or a business without a permit. Even people =
who sell
scanners aren't sure about the law. The manager at Radio Shack in =
Aberdeen says
that a lot of people do buy scanners, many of them use the scanners in =
their cars
when they go on trips or go camping. But the law is clear - this is =
illegal.

Police want people to know they are not actively out looking for illegal =
scanners,
but if they are found police say they will take them. Sgt. Tobin says =
they are
more interested in cracking down on those who abuse scanners, "If they =
are mobile,
especially they are used to evade or avoid law enforcement and their =
efforts to do
their job."

So far Aberdeen police haven't confiscated any scanners. They want =
people to know
the law so that doesn't have to happen.

http://www.ksfy.com/global/story.asp?s=3D1457912