Is anyone runnin a Police Scanner in their car?

I was looking at the Uniden BCT7 is this any good?? I have no idea what im looking for so any help would be appreciated

thanks!

 

Im lookin at one too/ What are the latest type of frequencies the highway patrol has?? Is there anythign that cant be detected by that and that can still pick up cops doin radar?

 

I'm looking into one too. Too many speeding tickets for me. I'm going to be looking on some search engines for police scanners. As soon as I find something good, I'll reply to this post.

 

Radio Shack has books of scanner freq for a few bucks (~$20 I think). Most times, the PD will not announce where they are setting up traps, so that doesn't help much. In NY at least, having a scanner with PD freq is a crime, if you use a scanner in a crime it is a felony.

 

The bearcat won't work with most modern trunked systems or FCC compliant 800plus Megahertz systems. That being said it will still pick up most police systems. But police in most jurisdictions have no need to anounce the average traffic stop, the average radar enforcement set-up. This is because on the average radar enforcement stops they are in high profile areas of frequent above average speed travel.
Also a scanner does not help you when the radar is 'photo-radar'. This means they take a picture of your tags and mail it to you with a fine. DC MPD uses this as well as at least one surrounding agency. As a police dispatcher I feel I know what I am talking about.
Yes, radio shack sells the frequency books. I think they are less than $10. This complies with FCC regulations.

 

Say about 300 peeople are illegal racing in some old wearhouse areas... when cops come and bust it up its usually more than one of them, so having a scanner in that situation would be ideal wouldn't it??!?! The use would be to listen to see if they are coming?!?!

help me out here Police man?!?

 

A Police scanner is not going to get you out of any tickets. All the scanner does is monitor police frequencies. I don't know of any officers who announce on the radio that they are pulling into a hiding spot to run radar at, lets say exit 10. It just doesn't happen. So, it won't help you for speeding. It will alert you if they get a call from the dispatcher over the radio to respond to a drag racing site. I can see it helping that way. But like some one posted ealier, In New York you can get into some deep do-do if you are caught comiting a crime with one in the car. So, If you are into breaking law, best leave it at home it will only tack on charges. Alot of agencies are up to date with technology and send messages to their units via the onboard laptop, so a scanner may not even help you get away from the illegal drag strip.

 

I have a police scanner in my room and everytime I put on the frequency for my local police department, I hear, "I am heading to Dunkin Donuts up on Bergen Boulevard. Anyone back at the station want anything?"

 

If the dispatcher keys up and your scanner gives an wlert tone it is because you are within 2-3 miles of the nearest repeater tower. And if that is true your scanner will go off anytime any officer on that frequency keys up. MaximaMan - if a large group of officers are going to bust a group of racers then they probably new about it in advance. And they know the citizens can scan their frequencies. So normally that is a telephone call to the dispatchers. They might start using their own radios to communicate back and forth themselves when they get nearby to ensure they have all the exits covered. At that point trying to get away will only magnify your charges: Fleeing to elude, reckless driving, illegal lane changes, red lights, stop signs, and your speed above the limit can be added numerous times. By the time you get to court your fines will easily be in the thousands. But if you are just sitting in the parking lot when they arrive you might get a trespassing charge. And most of the places large enough to have a race like this will have a security camera somewhere. If your tag is on film you are guilty. Even if you aren't the driver you are responsible for how your car is driven. And yes, lastly, using the scanner to aid in the commision of a crime is on the legal codes of most jurisdictions.

If 300 people gather in an area for an unscheduled event, ie not "permitted", the police will likely have 600 calls within 5 minutes of the first race starting. A single broken down vehicle on an uncongested roadway can cause numerous(10-20) calls from concerned citizens. Most of these calls will eventually be routed to the correct agency. If you really want to race do it on a track where safety precautions are used. These unscheduled races put numerous lives in danger, least of all the drivers. Every other vehicle on the road - just because you aren't drunk doesn't mean they aren't, every citizen walking on the side of the road or through a thin line of trees or office buildings, the workers in buildings along the route, and the police and fire emergy personel who expedite to keep as few people from being injured as possible and to get the injured parties to safety. Also don't froget the lives of the cetizens along the various routes of the police and fire. Most of the lives lost when police and fire are forced to expedite are those of innocent citizens. In many areas the guilty fleer can be charged with homicide, wreckless endangerment, manslaughter, or similar. Check with your local prosecuters.

 

This is getting really interesting...

So at the races 2 nights ago i was out there with a few of my buddies. The area we were in is surrounded by wearhouses that are about 1/4 a mile long. It is not trespassing yet. They are public roads. I get what u are saying about a police scanner being kinda useless in almost all situations and it seems to me it will most likely make thigns worse.

This street racing place is in the midlde of nowhere...its about the best spot besides an old air port for racing!!

what kinda charges can u be hit with if u DONT race, but are a spectator?

 

Honestly I don't know of any but I am sure there is something in the books if they are feeling really picky. I am not an officer and have not been trained to know what laws are on the books. If nothing else they could get you for the lack of yellow reflectors on the front corners of your maxima, if you have the clear bumper lenses. But they will probably be more interested in the law breakers who are endangering lives. You said public roads, but surrounded by wearhouses. So are you on the public road illegally parked or are you trespassing on private property? Someone owns the wearhouses. And if you are on public property that does not mean it is legal to assemble a large crowd without a permit. On federal land in the district, such as the White House sidewalk, it is illegal to assemble without a permit if you have a group of more than 25. Like I said before, check with the local jurisdiction - the legal code should be available at the public library, maybe even online.

 

give me an e-mail . there is this one i can get on sale. it comes with a one year ticket rebate (if u get a ticket they will pay for it)

 

1 year for the radar jammer?
Too bad NY State Troopers are migrating towards laser...

 

I had the bearcat for 2 yrs, used it a lot. It was the model shaped like a radar detector. Out of the 120+ cops I saw on the interstate, the alert tone went off only 3-6 times before I saw the cop. It did go off as I passed the cop more often, but too late. DONT BUY ONE.

 

hey why not just tape aluminum foil to your head? It works just as well and costs a lot less.

 

How much are you selling your invenion MainI30...? You can probally sell it to the owners of civics and integras...

 

It's like intent to racew or some ****. The cops will write a ticket for every reason they possibly can, whether you will be found guilty or not is anohter story. The police scanner could be helpful in speed traps because you will hear them radioing in every car they pull over (they have to w/license plate) and their location. If you hear cops are in the area it'll give you the heads up...I don't think it'll help all the time, but it wouldn't hurt to have one just in case.

PJ

 

Just save your money and get a new mod that will out run the cop...

 

Sorry Speednsound but you're wrong. When they have a speed enforcement set up they normally give the dispatchers a heads up before they set up. And most agencies have computers in the car to run tags, licences, or anything else with a serial number or other type of identification. When they are in distress these same computers alert the other officers in the area. Exactly which untis be will be alerted depends on the exact system used and how the agency has it set up. Even when they don't have the in car computers, a rarity, the only traffic stops that they notify the dispatchers of are the ones which immediately cause the officer to use extra caution. The radar detector or scanner can go off 3 miles or further away. Think of the linear miles of roadway that fall within a circle of 3 miles radius. Also remember that the FCC has mandated that all police and fire switch to high frequency systems within the next few years, I don't remember the date. So most agencies, particularly the locals that most benefit from speed enforcement, now operate on frequencies you can't hear with your scanner.