Are Police Scanners Illegal in a CMV?

Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by et1231, Jun 16, 2007.

  1. Espressolane

    Espressolane Road Train Member

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    Plenty of scanner apps out on the web. Easy search will have several pop up.
     
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  3. GreenPete359

    GreenPete359 Road Train Member

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    If they don’t know you have it, the legality of it stops mattering. This thread proves the point that they (the cops) only catch the dumb ones. They can’t make it up as they go if you never give them a reason to go in the 1st place.

    Got a load of drugs in the trunk, don’t be doing 10 over in a construction zone. Have an illegal radio/scanner, don’t let the world know about it.
     
  4. buddyd157

    buddyd157 Road Train Member

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    i have during the winter months, a hand held scanner that has the weather channels on it. it also has police, fire, marine, and HAM scanning capabilities.

    i keep it up on my dash, in full view for any DOT or cop to see when i pulled into scale houses..

    never been questioned about it
     
  5. Espressolane

    Espressolane Road Train Member

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    Having and using a radio scanner that can tune in on frequencies used by police or other emergency services is not unlawful. A few state laws do restrict use while driving, and applies to all vehicles, with a few exceptions for HAM licensed drivers. The other is a few states also have laws concerning use during the commission of a crime. These laws are also in a grey area and could be challenged in a court should a charge arise from them. Law enforcement would have to prove the use was to evade detection and capture.
    Avoidance is legal, evading is not.
     
  6. m16ty

    m16ty Road Train Member

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    Years ago, a buddy of mine had one that would pick up cell frequencies. We were listening to in one day and caught another guy we knew talking to his mistress. I never did say nothing to anybody but I did make some subtle hints to the guy we caught that I knew what he was up to, just to mess with him.

    I’m pretty sure it’s not legal to listen in on cell calls, but I’m sure the statue of limitations has run out ( 25+ years ago). I also don’t think you can scan cell calls anymore, since they went to digital.
     
    x1Heavy Thanks this.
  7. Inspector

    Inspector Bobtail Member

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    Mobile scanner laws, use with caution: Mobile Scanner & RADAR-Detector Laws In The US - US Scanner Laws

    Our agency went to digital radios back in the early 2000's. Now we added the use MDT's(Mobile Data Terminals) with CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) software in our units about 3-4 years ago. Whats it all mean? It means we hardly use the radio anymore. All we basically use the radio for now is, to clock in at the beginning of the day and clock out at night with the radio dispatch center. We do almost everything through the CAD now.
     
  8. L.B.

    L.B. Third Generation Truck Driver

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    if you hold a HAM rating scanners are legal
     
  9. IndianaF150

    IndianaF150 Medium Load Member

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  10. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    The Police is well aware of scanners and stand with arms akimbo laughing at our collective stupidity trying to intercept a radio call that has gone to what they call tac black channel in time of battle or capturing. No one is going to hear a #### thing except a block full of sirens, choppers, and heavy vehicles moving in.

    I remember our first encounter with that change in communications 30 years ago in a home of someone who was very good at listening to communications. They were hunting two bad guys in a field, a isloated farm, two houses and a church near a major state route. Known to be armed ans so forth. The scanner dispatcher told everyone to go tac black and then quit talking all together.

    So much for the conclusion of the great field chase. We might learn more about that in the town paper a few weeks hence for a bail or hearing purpose or trial a year or so from now if the prisoner is not able to make bail or get out in a timely manner. To make long story short. They were captured and took the courts two years to get through with them before they were handed over to the state for more trials.

    Only now recently in the last 5 years or so, you have people going through antique stores, myself included and once in a great while we recognize a very older communications of a data kind that the Law may have used at one time or another. What I do look for on those is any kind of hard drive at all on them. I don't care if it's a dollar or 1000 dollars, those hard drives if found with them are probably a treasure chest thta is worth going into. It's not difficult at all. Literally pull drive out, plug into USB external docking for laptop etc and proceed to read what is on it. It will take a while.

    I am beginning to accept that somewhere on a big rig you probably have a storage device of some type onbound, it will not be difficult at all. A 512 gigabyte thumb drive sized cache file holder will hold 20 years plus of mundane data. Some of which could be used to convict someone of ELD OOS Violations etc far in the future.
     
  11. Infosaur

    Infosaur Road Train Member

    I've learned not to fear the ever present cameras as long as the guy on the other end is playing solitaire or googling porn and getting paid minimum wage.
     
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