Baltimore has long been noted as one of the least safe places in the US in terms of criminal activities. In fact, the crime index actually shows Baltimore as one of the top 4% most dangerous cities in the country.
Baltimore Crime Stats
Several statistics are especially troublesome. While the US national average is 0.05 murder per 1000 residents, in Baltimore the murder rate is multiplied by seven. There are actually 0.35 murders per 1000 residents. Rapes are double the national average and you are 4 times more likely to get robbed, and 3 times more likely to get assaulted.
Baltimore also started the year with a bang: there were 27 homicides for January alone. Fortunately, that number decreased as the year rolled on, and March saw only 7 homicides—Baltimore’s lowest number of murders in a month since the early 1980s.
Reasons for Streaming Police Scanner Chatter
So how can broadcasting the chatter from a Baltimore county police scanner help people?
- It can help people moving into Baltimore get a better idea of which spots are particularly dangerous. By listening to a Baltimore police scanner, your listeners can take note of locations which are mentioned much more frequently by police officers. People moving in can then take the proper precautions, such as installing strong door locks and security cameras.
- Listening to these broadcasts can also help people on the ago navigate through certain dangerous areas. You can tell your listeners to download free police scanner apps for Android, iPhone or other mobile devices. Having such an app can be very helpful, especially when their travel path takes them through an area where a violent confrontation is taking place.
- Journalists can also take advantage of these broadcasts by knowing where to go. These live broadcast streams can be very informative, and they also offer the latest development on a case. As a journalist, you can get to the scene of the crime much more quickly by monitoring these broadcasts.
- These broadcasts are also very helpful for those in their homes. For example, it can tell you if there’s a problem in your neighborhood. You can then choose between barricading your door and evacuating the premises, depending on the situation.
- There’s also an entertainment aspect that’s very hard to ignore. The media services have long recognized the fact that the news is a form of entertainment. But these broadcasts are the unadulterated and raw information that many people find thrilling.
- You can also use these broadcasts as evidence for any city proposal you may want to support.
Listening to police scanner broadcasts is legal in Baltimore, and often they are necessary for those living in this city. Just go online to either Broadcastify or Radio Reference and find the Baltimore audio streams.