How long before someone breaks the IDEN code used by Nextel?
wrote in message
news
Cops try to keep chatter private
Amanda Gillooly, Times Staff


John Mukanos of Aliquippa has had a police scanner in his home since 1974,
and
it's been on ever since.


As a loyal listener, he knows that these days, a lot of police chatter
goes
unheard by the police scanner regulars.

Now, many of the officers communicate by cell phone or instant-messaging
through
laptop computers in police cruisers - something law enforcement officials
say
has changed the face of the business.

But Mukanos doesn't like it one bit. "I almost feel like it's that they
don't
want ordinary people knowing what's going on," he said. "They don't want
the
citizens scrutinizing everything that's going on."

Aliquippa Police Chief Ralph Pallante said nothing can be further from the
truth.

Yes, he said, a lot of police chatter goes on outside the realm of the
scanner,
but he said it's something necessary for officer protection and the
integrity of
certain investigations.

He said that recently, the department was staking out an apartment waiting
for a
drug suspect to come home so that officers could raid it. The officers
kept in
contact over their personal and police department-provided cell phones
instead
of keeping tabs over the radio, able to get the suspect when he came home.

He said that while many people use the scanners to keep informed about
crime in
their communities, criminals also use them to keep tabs on where the
police are
and when raids might be happening.

"He's using his scanner to keep informed, but if the target we're looking
for is
keeping informed, that's bad," he said. "They're going to flush their
drugs down
the toilet, and there aren't going to be any drugs there when we get
there."

New Brighton Area Police Chief Dale Nicholson said his department uses
Nextel
cell phones, which have instantaneous communication through a feature that
works
like a private walkie-talkie.

Each officer who comes on duty uses the phone designated to the patrol car
he is
driving, ensuring that all on-duty officers can stay in contact during
their
shifts, he said.

"It was the right direction to go," he said. "It's something officers need
as a
secondary means of communication. Communication between officers is
vital."

Wes Hill, director of Beaver County Emergency Services, said that his
department
has had Nextel Direct-Connect technology for five years - and that it's
"changed
everything drastically."

"I have direct contact with them 24-7," he said. "I don't ever need a
phone
number - it's direct contact."

He said that during emergencies, his department uses the technology
extensively,
enabling officials from its hazardous-materials units and all other units
to be
able to communicate among themselves, without tying up radio traffic.

This is also particularly important during an emergency when a number of
people
from different departments or communities are trying to communicate over
the
radio at once. Having cell phones enables those emergency responders to
communicate one-on-one without flooding the airwaves.

Hill is also able to stay in contact with the emergency managers that
comprise a
13-county Regional Task Force - communication that would be virtually
impossible
via the radio given the different frequencies that are used.

Zac Shieles, the Nextel government account manager for western
Pennsylvania,
said more than 100 municipal organizations in the state utilize the
technology.

Amanda Gillooly can be reached online at .

I listen to the Mike network here in Canada all the time....
It's boring...but I can hear it.


"Tom Mills" wrote in message
. ..
How long before someone breaks the IDEN code used by Nextel?
wrote in message
news
Cops try to keep chatter private
Amanda Gillooly, Times Staff


John Mukanos of Aliquippa has had a police scanner in his home since
1974, and
it's been on ever since.


As a loyal listener, he knows that these days, a lot of police chatter
goes
unheard by the police scanner regulars.

Now, many of the officers communicate by cell phone or instant-messaging
through
laptop computers in police cruisers - something law enforcement officials
say
has changed the face of the business.

But Mukanos doesn't like it one bit. "I almost feel like it's that they
don't
want ordinary people knowing what's going on," he said. "They don't want
the
citizens scrutinizing everything that's going on."

Aliquippa Police Chief Ralph Pallante said nothing can be further from
the
truth.

Yes, he said, a lot of police chatter goes on outside the realm of the
scanner,
but he said it's something necessary for officer protection and the
integrity of
certain investigations.

He said that recently, the department was staking out an apartment
waiting for a
drug suspect to come home so that officers could raid it. The officers
kept in
contact over their personal and police department-provided cell phones
instead
of keeping tabs over the radio, able to get the suspect when he came
home.

He said that while many people use the scanners to keep informed about
crime in
their communities, criminals also use them to keep tabs on where the
police are
and when raids might be happening.

"He's using his scanner to keep informed, but if the target we're looking
for is
keeping informed, that's bad," he said. "They're going to flush their
drugs down
the toilet, and there aren't going to be any drugs there when we get
there."

New Brighton Area Police Chief Dale Nicholson said his department uses
Nextel
cell phones, which have instantaneous communication through a feature
that works
like a private walkie-talkie.

Each officer who comes on duty uses the phone designated to the patrol
car he is
driving, ensuring that all on-duty officers can stay in contact during
their
shifts, he said.

"It was the right direction to go," he said. "It's something officers
need as a
secondary means of communication. Communication between officers is
vital."

Wes Hill, director of Beaver County Emergency Services, said that his
department
has had Nextel Direct-Connect technology for five years - and that it's
"changed
everything drastically."

"I have direct contact with them 24-7," he said. "I don't ever need a
phone
number - it's direct contact."

He said that during emergencies, his department uses the technology
extensively,
enabling officials from its hazardous-materials units and all other units
to be
able to communicate among themselves, without tying up radio traffic.

This is also particularly important during an emergency when a number of
people
from different departments or communities are trying to communicate over
the
radio at once. Having cell phones enables those emergency responders to
communicate one-on-one without flooding the airwaves.

Hill is also able to stay in contact with the emergency managers that
comprise a
13-county Regional Task Force - communication that would be virtually
impossible
via the radio given the different frequencies that are used.

Zac Shieles, the Nextel government account manager for western
Pennsylvania,
said more than 100 municipal organizations in the state utilize the
technology.

Amanda Gillooly can be reached online at .

What's the Mike network?

Mike network is Canada's version of Nextel...

Telus Mobility



"tom" wrote in message
news:brp0e.762867$Xk.408147@pd7tw3no...
What's the Mike network?

Do they use Motorola IDEN tech.? Is so how is it decoded?


"
Mike network is Canada's version of Nextel...

Telus Mobility



"tom" wrote in message
news:brp0e.762867$Xk.408147@pd7tw3no...
What's the Mike network?