Maybe I'm just lucky?

**Riptide** · 03-27-2010, 06:39 PM

I hear all the time about how cops don't talk about their location over the scanner and how scanners are more of a hobby than a countermeasure etc etc but the cops in my city are constantly giving away their location and also where they're going next

They're also not trunked or anything, I'm using a 15yr old scanner my pops gave me to borrow.

**erickonphoenix** · 03-27-2010, 06:40 PM

Yeah, that's a bad practice on their part but not unheard of. I've had a few tips on the scanner but not common enough to consider it dependable information.

**Stealth Stalker** · 03-27-2010, 06:42 PM

They always give their location. Nobody said they didn't. What we said was that they don't announce where they are running a trap. Knowing where cops are is only marginally helpful, since most of them don't run radar. And if they give their location, it's because they are busy on a call, which makes them no threat to you.

**Riptide** · 03-27-2010, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

They always give their location. Nobody said they didn't. What we said was that they don't announce where they are running a trap. Knowing where cops are is only marginally helpful, since most of them don't run radar. And if they give their location, it's because they are busy on a call, which makes them no threat to you.

notice I said where they're going next, now thats some useful info

**Stealth Stalker** · 03-27-2010, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Riptide

notice I said where they're going next, now thats some useful info

How so? Again, if they have announced where they are going, it is because they are already engaged on a specific mission, which means they are little or no threat to you as a speeder. Now, if you're running drugs, or just generally being a dickhead, then it's useful. But not as a speeder's countermeasure.

**v1user** · 03-27-2010, 11:45 PM

I'll give you some examples from what I've seen. The city I live in has 4 full time leos, one assigned to each one of the zones. 1. If hear of a traffic stop in that zone I know there is automatically less of a chance of speed enforcement in that zone. Also, he could call for another leo which would mean one his heading towards me. Usually, the other leo says where he is coming from. I would intelligently use that information and decide if I need to make a speed adjustment. If I hear any call come in about any sort of criminal activity all 4 respond which means no speed enforcement.

2. Last December I was running 40+ psl down a straight road in ideal conditions heading towards a neighborhood. I hear a leo say check of ____. I think to myself that's the place of going. About five seconds later the V1 lights up pretty strong to the rear. The leo was behind me and shot me with FF i/o Ka. Save.

3. Heading down a highway and hear the dispatcher ask the leo for his 20. I hear traffic at __ and __. I slow down and get behind an infiniti rabbit. The rabbit got pwoned with i/o at 15-10+psl.

4. My area is filled with small cities. Most have 2 leos during the day and 1 at night. If I hear one traffic stop the other one usually comes to assist which means no psl.

5. They love to sit on the overpasses and shot laser with chase cars. I pick these scams up all the time.

6. My city is between 2 major highways that run parallel to each other with one connector street that runs between. If I hear a leo say he is done with a traffic stop on that street and is in a direction I'm heading I know to adjust my driving accordingly because I'm probably encounter some moving i/o, their main tactic here. Also if they are responding to a non emergency call they will perform traffic stops along they way.

7. My state patrol uses in car repeaters so if I pick up that channel, you know what that means.

But yea if your running drugs or being a dick head it makes good sense. I still have 8freerunner8's pm about his save.
The key for me to to actively listen to the information and make a map in my head where they are and are going. If you live in a big city it won't be nearly as effective.

**Stealth Stalker** · 03-28-2010, 02:59 AM

Definitely! Small town and rural residents will find the scanner incredibly valuable after a little learning curve time! Those are about the only people I recommend it for though. If you live in a medium to large city, or any city large enough to operate on more than one dispatch channel, forget it. The signal to noise ratio will simply wear you out way before you ever hear anything useful, and usually way before you even figure out how to understand and follow the conversations.

Even in smaller towns, it gets complicated when there are motorcycle or dedicated traffic division officers on the force. Unlike the patrol officers (who usually don't even have radar), they don't communicate on the radio much. They just go pick a spot and do their thing. So even if you know where all the patrol officers are at a given time, the traffic officers may still be lurking somewhere. Consequently, you can't let a scanner give you a false sense of security unless you are intimately familiar with that department and how it operates. The limitations of a scanner are much like the limitations of a radar detector. Your knowledge of police tactics is every bit as important as the performance of the device itself. If you do not understand the police well enough to interpret the information you are receiving, you're not really getting any help, and may even be getting that false sense of security.