Before the Internet, a lot of on-air communications could be monitored by first purchasing a radio frequency scanner which allows you to overhear police and fire department chatter. Today, however, there are quite a few website online which provide this service. Some of these websites offer those who own a scanner to broadcast the chatter on the Internet.
If you need to access police radio frequencies, you can now do so online. You don’t even have to pay for the privilege at all. All you need is a good Internet connection and a device to let listen to the chatter
Here are a few ways to access police radio scanner frequencies:
- Download an app straight to your smartphone or tablet. Today this method has become increasingly popular. You just go to Google Play or iTunes, and then download the app you want. Some may cost you a few dollars, but others are free.
Choosing the right app, may take quite a bit of research however. First of all, you need to confirm that the app can provide you with the right audio stream of your local scanner frequencies. Police radio frequencies in LA will not be all that useful if you are a New Yorker.
You can do this by reading the reviews and confirming that its radio frequencies list includes the ones for your local police departments. Read the reviews as well so you can have a better idea of how the app works.
- Go to your local newspaper website. Quite a few publications are offering this service, and it has become very popular ever since the Boston Marathon bombings illustrated the need for constantly updated information.
Many of these websites are also fully responsive. This means that you can use your smartphone to monitor the chatter. If you are a reporter, this can truly be invaluable for your line of work.
- Go to major broadcasting websites. There are several ones in this category, and in general they act as a directory and a community of police scanner frequency codes. You can find the right scanner frequencies by zip code among the many thousandsof broadcasts available. You may have to register as a member, and for some services you may have to fork out some money.
- Personal websites. Some people just like to be helpful, and it shows in their personal websites. While other websites may offer exhaustive information regarding a special interest or hobby, a few offer embedded audio streams of police chatter right on their blogs or websites. You can just use Google to find these websites, simply by typing in your exact location.
Accessing police radio frequencies is not a crime in the US. However, it’s not known as to when these privileges will last. Some police departments are now using encrypted police frequencies, and if this trend continues then the usefulness of police radio frequencies websites will be severely curtailed.
