Scanner talk useful to public
Scanner talk useful to public
I use to depend on my emergency public radio scanner. When my parents were living I used to listen in when the KPD dispatcher dispatched the first responder (fire department) and the EMTs to my parents home. Needless to say, I would be there at my parents home or at the ER to check on them.
I also used to listen in of traffic conditions before heading east from the Westside. If there was a major accident or blockage (tree fallen, or boulder/landslide) on Kaumualii Highway I would wait it out before traveling eastbound.
Now it’s been almost two years pass since KPD dispatcher went to zoning frequency. The scanner listeners (myself included) have been cut off of listening to dispatch emergencies. To include EMTs and first responders calls I under stand that on most situation KPD don’t want an audience at the scene.
Whatever they (KPD) don’t want the public to hear, why couldn’t they just encrypt the conversation? instead of cutting off the public from listening by going to a zoning frequency.
The public has the right to listen in on road conditions and emergencies on what’s happening out there around Kauai highways, land, air, and sea.
Let us listen in again!
Howard Tolbe, Eleele
Oh Howard…so sad that your contact with beloved parents was by public scanner! So intimate. Maybe the rubberneckers with scanners were interfering with police, ambulance, fire activity.?
Ruthann. I stand to be corrected, ” I used to check on them (my parents) daily and rarely weekly.” The scanner is when I was at home at night and early morning hours. I’d respond when I hear KPD Dispatcher would dispatch First Responders and EMT to their (my parents) home.
Howard, the police frequencies are for that, police business. In the past, the scanners was not used for what you are talking about, but to listen on where police was conducting operations, crime scenes, license checks, etc., which is no business of those not involved.
As you used to work down at PMRF you should be familiar with Communication Security (COMMSEC) not everything in Public Safety is meant to be released to the public, what if the information was about your or your family?
Joe Public. I agree with you Police business is exactly that! ( that is why I mentioned that this situation should be encrypt) However, I meant to where they were dispatched. For example, per my letter, ” first responders (fire, police, and EMT) in my case to my parents home or dispatched to accident on the highways (that will cause traffic delays.)
Also, in the pass years (give or take about 10 years) I use to receive dispatched police, EMT, and fire responders conversations. It was received over my public emergency radio scanner. Again I repeat, ” encrypt if they don’t want the public to hear on there scanners.
If you go to Oahu or the mainland you can receive all kinds of police, fire, and EMTS activities. Why is it so secretive here on Kauai County?
It is easy to say encrypt, but the cost is astronomical to do this for a small community. It can be done, hope you own property so you can help pay for it.