[Scan-DC] AP encryption article quoting scan-dc members

Mon Nov 21 21:11:38 EST 2011

Hi Andrew,

I understand how you feel. My feelings are that if scanning once again
becomes more widespread, then more people will be able to aid the police. If
you hear about a robbery next door, you can look out the windows and get the
make/model/license plate of the vehicle in the driveway. The police now have
many more eyes on the lookout for a stolen vehicle. It's up to us to make
that point to our elected officials.

Most police cars now have PCs acting as mobile data terminals, so
confidential data is sent that way without tipping off the bad guys. That's
how Montgomery County does it and it seems strange that DC won't go that
direction. Then again, most big city governments seem "imperial" to me. 

>From my point of view this is a choice the citizens of each jurisdiction
have. We can let the people we pay tell us how we live our lives and what we
we're allowed to do, or we can insist they remember who pays their salary
(as David S. said in the article). One thing is for sure. If we do nothing,
then the future you foresee will definitely come true.

My 2 cents,

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Andrew Clegg
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 8:50 PM
To: Matt Stevens; Doug Kitchener
Cc: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] AP encryption article quoting scan-dc members

To be the devil's advocate, isn't this type of information just as useful 

after the fact, rather than in real time over the radio?

Also the be the devil's advocate, I generally buy into the argument that 

it's not a good idea to let crooks listen in to what the police are doing. I

agree that people who aren't crooks should be able to listen, and that there

are times when there are benefits to having the public and/or the press 

listening to police communications in real time. But how do you limit 

listening just to good people? And, again being the devil's advocate, are 

there statistics that show how often someone's life or property have been 

saved only by virtue of listening to public safety operations on a scanner? 

It may have happened somewhere sometime, but it's not something I can recall

hearing about (although it might be useful to accumulate a detailed list).

I for one believe it won't be too many more years before listening to public

safety goes the way of listening to cell phones (I'm not trying to equate 

the two, I'm speaking in the technical sense). I've started to do a lot of 

thinking about what I plan to listen to when public safety communications is

no longer an option. I posted that question to the group a while ago and got

very few responses (one I think), so perhaps I'm one of the few who are 

cynical enough to worry about this.

I've been listening to the police and fire on scanners since I was a 

teenager, and I sure hope I'm able to for a good long while. But given the 

way the world is going (there's no freedom important enough to not be 

trampled on in the name of security), I don't hold out a lot of hope.

Cheers,

Andy

--------------------------------------------------

From: "Matt Stevens" <fivealarmphotography at gmail.com>

Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 7:37 PM

To: "Doug Kitchener" <oldsdoug at hotmail.com>

Cc: <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>

Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] AP encryption article quoting scan-dc members

> That is a very important point. If the public knew that they wasted an

> amublance for a subject with "chapped lips" (Yes, it happened last month).

> Or the Domestic Stand-by that they did with the same couple the same day 3

> times. If they knew the truth, then there would be change.

> 

> On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 5:58 PM, Doug Kitchener 

> <oldsdoug at hotmail.com>wrote:

> 

>> 

>> Whether you agree with that or not, I'll tell ya one thing... *if the

>> general public heard half of the BS that we overhear from time to time,

>> there'd be an overhaul of the police and fire systems.*  In fact, I'll

>> tell ya two things... I'd love to know what and where all the emergencies

>> are that these cops are going to that they have to run up the HOV lanes

>> during rush hour at 80 mph.

>> 

>> Thanks, Tom, for posting the link.

>> 

>> ----------------------------------------

>> > Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:19:30 -0500

>> > From: tom at clouse.com

>> > To: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net

>> > Subject: [Scan-DC] AP encryption article quoting scan-dc members

>> >

>> > http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=2640496

>> 

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> 

> 

> 

> -- 

> Matt Stevens

> Photographer

> www.FiveAlarmPhotography.com

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