[Scanner] Scanner Crack Down

[scanner@mailman.qth.net]

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=1457912