Anyone else monitor the cops, firemen and ambulance on their scanner?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

We are listening to a very interesting tow truck company. This is very fun, because when we hear a siren, we know where they are heading.
Duckie

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. what police? what fire?

Maybe the local sheriff, and Fish and Game here, but I'm not sure I could hear them if I did have a scanner.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. You live out in the Boonies?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. yep

highest part of the Ozarks. Hard to get any sort of reception of anything in some areas.

[Maddy McCall]

4. You could, because most counties have a central relay antenna...

used by police and by the sheriff's dept. But, I am frequently amazed that the sheriff's dept. gets as many if not more calls than the city cops.

[Maddy McCall]

3. Yes, I do.

Especially during bad weather, because our cops and firemen are out watching the storms, letting each other know where tornados have touched down, etc.

And I listen on Saturday night--never a dull moment after midnight on Saturday. :D

[Pool Hall Ace]

5. My late mother used to do that.

In fact, she couldn't sleep without "her boys" (the cops).

For a while, we could hear what was going on in a nearby household (presumably from a baby monitor?). It was mildly amusing.

[Maddy McCall]

7. Mine used to pick up cell phone calls.

I've heard some REALLY funny shit. :D

[Pool Hall Ace]

10. Now that I think of it . . .

one of my mother's earliest scanners did pick up mobile phone conversations. I remember listening to conversations between a couple, Brucie and Margie-Sue. I don't know if they were newlyweds, or having an affair, but they were verrrry lovey-dovey.

[Maddy McCall]

11. Yes, we heard "affair arrangements" being made.

Woman called lover to schedule a time and then called hubby to make up and excuse. It was hilarious.

[Lilyhoney]

16. My mom was into it too.

She loved listening to what was going on in the neighborhood. She took it with her room to room and to bed. I could hear the fucking thing 2 floors away and would have to turn it down after she was snoring. After I moved away, the only things she ever had to talk about were what she heard on the scanner. It got me depressed because it was things like car accident deaths, suicides, overdoses, murder, rape. Theese were about the people I grew up with and were my friends and neighbors. Hearing the bad stuff all the time helped to keep my mothers racial prejudices in place. Kept her scared of her neighbors and never went where she did'nt have to. I hated the thing.

[Wapsie B]

6. There's at least one site

through Real Player that let you listen to big city police channels across the country.

http://www.scannerlist.com/

[supernova]

9. And old family friend does this

He's part of the volunteer fire department, so he always keeps he walky-talky on. :D I think it's his way of keeping connected, even though he's "retired." :D

[tyedyeto]

12. I had a scanner when I lived in the mtns

Would mainly listen during 'fire season'. Only way you would know where the fire was and where it was heading. Local media wouldn't tell us anything.

[Blue Diadem]

13. yep sure do,

living small town/rural, we know many of the dispatchers, deputies, village cops, volunteer fireman..so we always like to know what's happening. It definitely helps to know what's going on when life flight is hovering over your area..

We used to catch the school bus radios for a while, now we get some workers..not sure what they do..maybe county workers. Last week it was funny, one got lost and they kept giving him directions and he kept getting lost. They finally sent someone out to find him.

My Dad had one when I was a teenager..back then they had to have special crystals for each dept. frequency.

[Wcross]

14. I have an oddball friend who listens to other peoples phones.

He used to live in an apartment complex and he could pick up peoples cordless phone conversations. I told him he shouldn't do it but he got his jollies knowing things about his neighbors. For years he refused to ditch his traditional phone and go cordless- his excuse? "some wakco might eavesdrop"

I was uncomfortable for a couple of years about using my cordless until I developed a fool proof plan to avoid people like him. I moved to the sticks and nobody lives within a mile of me. I also avoid talking about sensitive subjects on the phone. Like "The heist is going down at 7pm" type stuff.

[Nomad559]

15. I listen everyday

I listen to my scanner while I am on my daily bicycle ride, I listen to the police most of the time.