There's a saying in Law Enforcement Circles about how No Man can out run a Police Radio (Motorola), yet every single day in Communities across our Nation Criminals give it their best Attempt. The Police Radio or PIC (Personal Instant Communication) device is one of the Most Important Tools in law Enforcement.
This is where another Important Tool comes into play, the Police Scanner.
A Police Scanner allows regular Citizens like you and I to know what's happening in our Jurisdiction. It gives us a Glimpse into what's Unfolding at that Moment and Provides us with valuable Information especially if we're traveling.
While there are other Services available, nothing beats a Police Scanner.Take Newark's Partnership with Nixle for Instance. Nixle is a Public Announcement Service which provides Communities with Important Information and Recent Criminal Alerts.
On paper, Nixle sounds great however when put into action it could take up to 12 hours or more before our Police Department releases Information on what's happening. Meanwhile we're left in the dark because a Human hasn't found the time to Issue such Alert. With a Police Scanner you get the 411 right from the Horses Mouth in this case our Beloved 911 Dispatchers.
Many different Police Scanners are available for purchase both in Stores like Radioshack and Online. Our Specific County (Alameda) utilizes the 800 MHz Frequency.This means that in order for you to listen in on Local Action you must have a Scanner capable of tuning into the 800 range.
Cost of such a Device will set you back about $200 for a really good one, but there are others including Digital Scanners which you may obtain for considerably more.
Thanks to the Internet there's an ever growing number of Online Feeds Broadcasting Cities Emergency Communications. One such Website is Radio Reference. It's an Online Community for Radio Enthusiasts & contains a wealth of Information on Local Frequencies, Talk Groups, and features Live Scanner Feeds you can listen to for free.
Although there are Live Feeds featuring Alameda County and specific Cities like Hayward and Oakland, there are no Feeds for Newark specifically with exception to Alameda County Fire. Fortunately I have a Server that I deploy for Special Events such as SWAT Situations, and anything of Public Safety Concern.
I currently don't Host a Newark Feed 24/7 but I do Designate Days for Operation such as Friday Night or Holidays that are known to be busy.
If you want to know what's really happening in our Community and don't want to wait for someone else to fluff or Sugar Coat it, I highly recommend getting your Own!
