Interesting radio dialogue

DaveT · Post by **DaveT** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:47 pm

While listening to the scanner a few nights ago, I heard a DPS Trooper go out on a traffic stop.

In a few minutes he requested a check on a drivers license number. Dispatcher ran the check, replied this way: "DL issued to (name and city inserted here). subject is clear, no warrants. Subject may also be armed, CHL indicated."

Thought it was interesting that anyone with a scanner now knows the subject in question has a CHL and is possible armed. He was not local, but if he had been...... there sure are a lot of folks around here with scanners.

jimlongley · Post by **jimlongley** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:57 pm

Listening to the scanner yesterday I heard my local agency get called to a shopping center for "A man with a gun." Three or four cars started that way and you know others were going too.

Then it came out as part of the description of the "suspect" that he was wearing this and that and the gun was in his waistband under his shirt. He hadn't threatened anyone, a clerk had just "noticed" it. He left the store and walked to another store.

Of course these points coming out resulted in a reduced response.

I didn't hear any name and address details given over the air, but when they did catch up with the guy, he turned out to be a CHLer just carrying and the clerk turned out to be new and from out of state.

TxFire · Post by **TxFire** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 5:29 pm

If you have a scanner you can hear a lot of interesting things about persons, the least of which is that they have a CHL.

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:26 am

I went through a "scanner" phase a few years ago...I still have it though...

Y'all have me all jazzed now...I'm going to have to resurrect it now and leave it on in the background while I read at night...

oilman · Post by **oilman** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:02 am

My wife says no to a scanner. First time she met my family back in NH she walked into a room (my parents house) where two scanners, a CB radio and the TV were all on at the same time and all the time! I have a brother who is a fireman and another brother who works as a weather spotter and volunteer emergency management guy so that explains the scanners.

I bring up the idea of buying a scanner now and then just to watch her reaction.

scooter03 · Post by **scooter03** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:14 pm

stevie_d_64 wrote:I went through a "scanner" phase a few years ago...I still have it though...

Y'all have me all jazzed now...I'm going to have to resurrect it now and leave it on in the background while I read at night...

We did the same thing, and guess what, I am doin the same thing, I want mine out now. gotta go find it.

DaveT · Post by **DaveT** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:36 pm

I used to be the Police Chief in the small community where we live, usually just turn the scanner on when I hear sirens or the medivac choppers incoming.

Turned it on the evening I was referring to in the beginning of this thread because of lots of sirens and two incoming choppers in less than an hour. That was because of a 1 car rollover up on the Lubbock to Wichita Falls highway.... driver swerved to avoid a dead deer in the roadway and overcorrected. One person in the vehicle died, three injured severly.

Later on that same evening, S.O. Deputies stopped an auto transporter, subsequent story was in the paper a few days later.... they found 600 pounds of marijuana in the trunks of the new cars being transported from El Paso to Oklahoma City.

My thinking in starting this thread was that maybe LEO needs to come up with a 10 code for CHL so they would not be broadcasting the information in such a manner that lots of folks with scanners might hear. If the Texas State laws concerning CHL clearly state that concealment is a necessity, it seems odd that LEO is taking the advantage of concealment away by openly broadcasting who has CHL's. Just a thought....... maybe my mind works too much now that I am retired, LOL !

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 1:38 pm

DaveT wrote:My thinking in starting this thread was that maybe LEO needs to come up with a 10 code for CHL so they would not be broadcasting the information in such a manner that lots of folks with scanners might hear. If the Texas State laws concerning CHL clearly state that concealment is a necessity, it seems odd that LEO is taking the advantage of concealment away by openly broadcasting who has CHL's. Just a thought....... maybe my mind works too much now that I am retired, LOL !

All kidding aside...

That is an excellent idea!!! I really do think this is something we should plant a bug in someone's ear about in Austin...

Most large municipalities probably wouldn't need this requirement (only as a backup) as they are all hooked into a database in their car and verbal communications for a simple -27 and -28 checks (I think thats right) are done on the computer...

hooahh!

kw5kw · Post by **kw5kw** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 1:39 pm

DaveT wrote:I used to be the Police Chief in the small community where we live, usually just turn the scanner on when I hear sirens or the medivac choppers incoming.

Turned it on the evening I was referring to in the beginning of this thread because of lots of sirens and two incoming choppers in less than an hour. That was because of a 1 car rollover up on the Lubbock to Wichita Falls highway.... driver swerved to avoid a dead deer in the roadway and overcorrected. One person in the vehicle died, three injured severly.

Later on that same evening, S.O. Deputies stopped an auto transporter, subsequent story was in the paper a few days later.... they found 600 pounds of marijuana in the trunks of the new cars being transported from El Paso to Oklahoma City.

My thinking in starting this thread was that maybe LEO needs to come up with a 10 code for CHL so they would not be broadcasting the information in such a manner that lots of folks with scanners might hear. If the Texas State laws concerning CHL clearly state that concealment is a necessity, it seems odd that LEO is taking the advantage of concealment away by openly broadcasting who has CHL's. Just a thought....... maybe my mind works too much now that I am retired, LOL !

While anyone can purchase a scanner, so few people actually have them outside of the public service community - and anyone except a public service (LEO, Firefighter, Ambulance, DA etc.) and a Federally Licensed Radio Amateur (such as myself and a few others) can't have one legally in their automobile.

Now days it even takes very specalized scanner equipment to work in the larger cities that employ trunking technology. I myself, do not have one of these more specalized receivers, and while I do have some of the frequencies in a 'bank' in my Yeasu FT-857, I rarely--emphise rarely--ever turn them on unless I plan to be traveling for a long distance. I find it much more reliable to listen to Ch 19 for traffic conditons so far as wrecks and other traffic concerns. Not for the language however.

So, with that said, I think the majority of the community out there are just as obtuse to this --if not more so-- than they are to the issue of a CHL in the first place.

wo5m · Post by **wo5m** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:35 pm

kw5kw wrote:
While anyone can purchase a scanner, so few people actually have them outside of the public service community - and anyone except a public service (LEO, Firefighter, Ambulance, DA etc.) and a Federally Licensed Radio Amateur (such as myself and a few others) can't have one legally in their automobile.

Actually in Texas its not illegal to have one in your car. It is in New York, Florida, DC and a few others.

With todays technology the law really doesn't have a use. More and more agencies are going digital and they have the option of encrypting it if they want security.

TxFire · Post by **TxFire** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:54 pm

I don't feel the need for the CHL to be coded. But I do emphasize to guys I work with to be prepared for anything said into a keyed mic to be on the local News. The News channels are ALWAYS listening.

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 4:46 pm

As obtuse as the scanner community is, I still think discretion as far as information going out over the air concerning a licence or permit in these cases should be given the upmost courtesy and discretion...

It just never really dawned on me until Dave brought it up that this was still a possibility...

seamusTX · Post by **seamusTX** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 5:19 pm

You know, broadcasting someone's name, address, driver license number, and car tag number opens up the opportunity for quite a bit of mischief, such as identity theft or stalking. Worse yet if the birth date is included.

- Jim

spud · Post by **spud** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 5:49 pm

As much as I like listening to a scanner, I have always thought that Police frequencies should be coded. Just because you can listen, dosent mean you should.

KD5NRH · Post by **KD5NRH** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:26 pm

seamusTX wrote:You know, broadcasting someone's name, address, driver license number, and car tag number opens up the opportunity for quite a bit of mischief, such as identity theft or stalking.

Not many places will accept a DL number without the actual DL as proof of identity. All the other info is easily obtained by picking a random house, reading the name off the mailbox, gate, or cutesy sign by the door, and looking up the name in the phone book to link it to a first name. If the car tags are of any use, they're prominently displayed on either end of the car for anyone wanting to look.

DL and LP info can also be obtained directly from DPS, or from third party providers for a nominal fee.