ARLA/CLUSTER: Restrições à escuta em scanners no E.U.A.

[João Gonçalves Costa]

[http://www.wearecb.com/images/Uniden_Scanners.gif]

Scanner hobbyists fear radio changes

Law enforcement efforts to get the upper hand on criminals has undercut public access to police broadcasts that bellow across radio scanners and the Internet.

With ongoing radio equipment and frequency upgrades in Brevard County, longtime scanner hobbyists fear public safety agencies eventually might move to encrypting even more transmissions than the usual undercover or tactical operation.

"I'm very fearful," said longtime scanner enthusiast Jonathon Whipple about the possibility of law enforcement agencies encrypting its transmissions.

"It means I'm in the dark. These are public airwaves. The scary thing is that they can just flip the switch and that would be it."

For now, residents still have the ability to tune in or go online to hear real-time broadcasts of traffic accidents, brush fire incidents or even an occasional dramatic rescue. Transmissions can be received on hand-held or portable scanners found at most electronics stores.

Already, some law enforcement agencies in surrounding counties and across the nation are shutting taxpaying residents out of listening in on what traditionally are publicly owned broadcasts, citing fears that criminals could also be eavesdropping. It is already illegal in Florida for a resident without an amateur radio license to have a police scanner mounted inside a vehicle.

During the past few months, Brevard County's publicly owned radio system has gotten a $3 million upgrade paid for by Sprint-Nextel to meet federal frequency rebanding requirements.

The project, set over two years, involved replacing equipment for 58 local departments -- from pubic school security to the county's 15 police agencies covering the 540,000 people living on the Space Coast.

The most recent reshifting of public safety radio frequencies took place just before Christmas. It was in response to a Federal Communications Commission order intended to relieve frequency interference issues, said Leslie Lewis of Brevard County Fire-Rescue, one of the leading coordinators overseeing the local rebanding project.

Other recent upgrades require digital scanners to monitor some law enforcement traffic.

"(Encryption) is not really been part of the discussion at this point," Lewis said. "It's still in the investigative stage."

Palm Bay Police Chief William Berger said although his department uses encrypted frequencies for tactical operations, he does not foresee stripping away the public broadcasts typically heard over scanners. Berger said the value of such broadcasts allow the public to know what's happening during accidents or situations involving hurricanes or other natural disasters.

"I don't see it as necessary. You can't make an argument for that happening because it's important for that information to get out," Berger said. "But the refinements we're making to the system are just bringing us up to the norm."

Still residents such as Dennis Brands -- a longtime videographer whose livelihood depends on the transmissions he receives, says any direct move toward encryption would be devastating to the public's right to know what's happening in their own communities.

"We're supposed to be monitoring them to keep them honest, not to say that they are corrupt because I know that Palm Bay officers are very above-board in the dealings I've had with them," Brands said.

"But the more secretive law enforcement becomes in general, the more apt (police) are to not reveal that they've done something wrong."



Fonte: FloridaToday.com
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