[Scan-DC] Police scanner apps are criminals' latest tool

[Andrew Feinberg]

Has anyone ever considered writing to the reporters who file this stuff and the editors who let It get published without bothering to see if the problem is real and if so, see how widespread it is. 

As a professional journalist who has covered telecommunications policy and as a scanner enthusiast, I find it very hard to believe that scanner apps are being regularly used obey criminals to evade police. 

I don't see how the transmissions I regularly listen to could give anyone an idea of where police officers are. The existence of CAD and vehicle locator systems makes the radio an unlikely venue for sensitive operational or tactical details. 

I suggest that unless we want fearmongering and misinformation to rule the day, we need to proactively combat secrecy and scare tactics with verifiable truth. 

Don't just repost an article like that --  write a letter to the editor as well. 

Andrew

On Jan 12, 2012, at 12:37 AM, "Alan Henney" <alan at henney.com> wrote:

> 
> Government Computer News
> 
> January 9, 2012 Monday
> 
> Police scanner apps are criminals' latest tool
> 
> BYLINE: GCN Staff, Government Computer News
> 
> LENGTH: 175 words
> 
> What if criminal suspects could gain a leg up on police by listening in on secure law enforcement radio transmissions via smart phones? That's already happening in Maryland, according to ThreatPost. 
> 
> Law enforcement officials in the state are reporting that "criminal gang members and associates" are using websites such as radioreference.com and mobile apps including the 5-0 Police Radio Scanner to monitor police officers' moves. In a warning issued last month, the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center said officers in at least one incident had heard their radio transmissions over a suspect's smart phone.
> 
> The center warned that suspects can use the information gleaned from the app transmissions to plot their crimes, set up ambushes for police officers, or plan escape routes. 
> 
> There were at least 20 scanner apps available for download as of 2010, the center reports. One of them, the 5-0, advertises access to several emergency transmissions, including police, fire, aircraft, railroad and marine frequencies, according to the center's warning.
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