According to many people, the Phoenix Police Department’s decision to make police conversations public is a “foolish” idea at best, since the only people who listen to them are scrupulous troublemakers. The rest of the population, according to them, finds police scanners extremely boring and useless.
This could not be farther from the truth, however. People, at least those who are interested, should have knowledge of the dangers that might affect them, so that they can act accordingly. Additionally, being well informed about police activity also allows many responsible citizens a chance to help serve and protect their community.
One very prominent example where citizens have helped law enforcement in managing situations is the the recent event that took place in Boston on the 15th of April.
Giving real-time updates of happenings and activities on the road, police radio scanners provide vital information regarding a variety of things, including but not limited to car accidents, traffic jams, routes and which should be avoided. They also inform about any natural disasters which may have taken place. While it is true that they cannot be prevented, one can still be benefited by staying informed about them, and can safeguard themselves and alter their plans accordingly.
The main reason behind making police radios public is to maintain the safety of citizens. By letting citizens stay informed on the major events (if any) happening in the city, law enforcement can function much more properly, not to mention project a more honest and transparent image. Additionally, it also keeps citizens alert on the various dangers that may exist in the community that they may not be aware of.
Police departments do not use standard FM frequency and therefore can’t be heard on normal home or car radios, portable or otherwise; they use UHF and VHF, which are Federal Government-assigned frequencies.
Police scanners have indeed involved with the advancement of technology. Back in the early 2000s a police radio scanner would imply an elaborate device with an antenna of various dimensions, but now you can easily download a police scanner app, or easily listen to a police radio frequency online through your cellphone, tablet or computer.
The following are three websites that will allow you to stream live police radio communications for Phoenix, Arizona:
Very convenient and easy-to-use, the three aforementioned websites will easily help you be informed over the various happenings on the road the the actions taken by the Police Department. All you need to do is select the State in which you live (or want to know about), select the relevant city, and thereafter sit back and listen in to police activity.
A word of warning if you want to keep informed by listening to police activity, you must always keep yourself neutral over the current actions of law enforcement. Jumping in to help on every police actions, even with good intention, will do more harm than good. This is because Police Departments are there in place to solve problem, and unsolicited help might just destroy the operation.