![]() Check in your area to see which band type your local agencies are using.įinally, think about the types of features you really need. Digital scanners tend to have the best compatibility, but you’ll get by fine with a less expensive analog police scanner if your local agencies haven’t made the jump to digital yet. ![]() Next, determine whether or not you need an analog or digital scanner. Police scanners are available as handheld units, as mobile scanners for vehicle installation, or as stationary desktop scanners. Think about the portability you do or do not need in a scanner. For an inexpensive handheld option, the Uniden Bearcat BC365CRS ( view at Amazon) is a good model to check out. There's "not a ton of context," Eicholz said, "and some of the codes I had to look up.The BearTracker 885’s ( view at Amazon) included GPS, CB radio, and noise-canceling microphone make it an excellent choice for truckers or anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. Users can always pay for the ad-free version, or opt to purchase a dedicated police scanner radio.Īnother challenge is understanding what all that police chatter really means. Eicholz, who tested multiple apps before settling on two she found useful, said the ads created an uneven experience. They do tend to have a lot of ads in their free versions. They can also tell residents like Eicholz when something really serious is happening outside their doors. Scanner apps can alert protesters to when police plan to use tear gas, rubber bullets or other projectiles. The other is called Police Scanner Radio & Fire. One of the top two apps in terms of number of downloads is called Police Scanner, Live Police. In the following weeklong period, downloads dipped slightly to just under 1 million, but that's still 311% higher than before protests began. Scanner apps saw 1.2 million downloads between May 28 and June 3. The apps as a category are seeing a big boost, according to Apptopia. Police-scanner apps rebroadcast police radio chatter, which is typically available to anyone with the right radio equipment. That makes text messages "much closer to something like actually whispering to your friends," Quintin said. Signal offers a disappearing-message feature, which deletes messages after a preset period of time after you've read them. If you're concerned about law enforcement or anyone else reading your messages if you get arrested or lose your phone, you need to take extra steps, Quintin said. Anyone who has access to your phone can typically read them. It's important to remember, however, that the apps don't protect messages on your device. That means your phone carriers and your internet service providers can't read them, unlike your regular SMS text messages, which are sent in plaintext. Signal and similar services encrypt your messages as they travel along the internet to your contact's phone. Ring doorbells and the police: What to do if surveillance has you worriedĮncrypted messaging is useful for people who want to keep their text messages private, including protesters discussing how best to organize, said Cooper Quintin, a senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.Why you need a better handle on the WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram apps.Encrypted messaging app Signal adds facial recognition protection for protesters.From the weeklong period ending May 27 to the weeklong period ending on June 10, downloads of Signal jumped 185% to more than 192,300. Telegram is the encrypted-messaging app with the most users in the US, but competitor Signal has seen a big spike in users over the past three weeks, according to Apptopia. (Residents aren't required to comply.) A Citizen spokesperson said that the company doesn't share information with police unless presented with a warrant or subpoena. For example, many police departments partner with Ring to see information shared on the Neighbors app, and can use a portal to request Ring camera footage from residents. Users should be aware that information shared with some of these apps can go to law enforcement, potentially involving someone in a police investigation. The app, she says, also gives her "comfort" that her business is safe. She's been using Citizen to track where protests with crowds and a police presence are taking place. Ice cream shop owner Katie Wages lives in Emeryville, California, where looting hit shopping centers in late May.
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