Hand held scanners, legal precedent on bans

[Brad]

There is alot you can do on a Smart Phone that people dont realize. Ive heard of these RF Scanners on smart phones, unfortunatly, they wont tell me were to find them.

If you have an android just search scanner radio on google play, you'll find 'em. All they do is stream off radioreference.com.

[wuzafuzz]

Scanner laws based on mere possession are good for one thing: ridicule.  Such laws do absolutely nothing to deter criminals but inconvenience everyone else. 

Technology is rapidly outpacing laws of that nature.  An example is a software defined radio, that can receive darn near anything with the right programming.  For all we know some car stereos are already software defined.

I suspect most states have laws that make it illegal to use radio in the furtherance of a crime.  That's perfectly reasonable IMHO.  Similar to burglar tools.  For instance a screwdriver isn't illegal by itself, but if you get caught using it to gain entry to a building or locked car your punishment might include an extra charge for burglar tools.  Of course laws vary by location.

 

[Brad]

I suspect most states have laws that make it illegal to use radio in the furtherance of a crime.

Actually that's a federal crime under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Law enforcement would come down on you and the FCC would start Forfeiture proceedings....aka a really big fine.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-119

[JeffDG]

Scanner laws based on mere possession are good for one thing: ridicule.  Such laws do absolutely nothing to deter criminals but inconvenience everyone else. 

They're also highly suspect on 1st Amendment grounds.

Similar laws regarding recording or videotaping police officers while performing their duties are under assault in the courts, and most, if not all, are likely to be invalidated.

[a2capt]

The irony there is in large cities the police have cameras all over the place, so it's okay for them to surveil you, but the minute someone is standing around filming them, some of them get all kinds of provocative and stupid. Which in turn serves as an enabler and encourager to the person with the camera and things go south from there.