- Tune in on the web using sites like Broadcastify and OpenMHz, or by searching for a city and "live police scanner."
- Apps like Scanner Radio, 5-0 Radio, and Police Scanner X are easy to download onto your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
- Many police departments in the US and UK now encrypt their radio activity, so you can't listen to police radio in some cities.
Using a Mobile Police Scanner App or Website
Download a police scanner app for your mobile device. You can experience all the excitement of police radio without dropping a lot of money on special equipment by using your Android, iPhone, or iPad. There are many different police scanner apps available to casual listeners, all of which will provide access to channels in your immediate vicinity and beyond. While some police scanner apps are sold for a small price (usually $3-5), many of the best ones are free. Keep in mind, however, that free scanners may include ads that occasionally interrupt broadcasts. Some of the best free & paid police radio apps we've found: Scanner Radio by Gordon Edwards (US): Free on Android & iPhone/iPad. 5-0 Radio Police Scanner by Smartest Apps (International): Free on iPhone/iPad with a paid option available. Police Radio by Logicord (US): Free for Android and iPhone (no iPad app). Police Scanner App by Dazz Cam (US): Free for iPhone & iPad. Police Scanner X (International): Free for Android & iPhone/iPad.
Try a police scanner website. If you don't want to download an app or prefer listening on your computer, there are many websites that stream live police radio 24 hours a day. The best way to find an online police scanner for a particular city is to search the web for that city and "live police scanner." You can also use any of the following sites to browse police radio channels and listen. Some popular options: Broadcastify (US) OpenMHz (International) MyTuner (US)
Use the app or website's interface to browse various channels. Once the app or site is loaded, you'll be presented with several options for how to listen. Most police scanner apps organize their channels into broad categories, such as “Police, “Fire,” and “EMS.” Within these categories, you'll find frequencies for each of your city's major emergency response services. If you have location services enabled for a mobile app, it should detect where you are automatically. For some programs, however, you may be asked to provide your zip code or other location information, such as the name of your city or specific county. Another useful feature of police scanner apps is that you can often save your favorite channels to create custom feeds which you can cycle between at will.
Explore channels from all over the world. Since online police scanners don't operate on a restricted range, most apps let you check out feeds from other cities, states, and even countries. Just choose a location and frequency to discover what kinds of crimes, emergencies, and disasters are happening there in real time. Channels are usually plainly labelled, which makes it easy to find the one you want right away. For example, the frequency for the Philadelphia Police Department will be displayed as “Philadelphia PD” or something similar.
Using a Standalone Scanner
Purchase a police scanner. Police scanners come in many forms. There are large desktop scanners, smaller handheld varieties, and models that can be installed in your vehicle. Before you shell out hundreds of dollars on the first model you see, take a moment to consider which type will work best for your intended purposes. How will you be using your scanner? Do you plan on doing most of your listening from the privacy of your home, or would you rather keep up with the action while you're out on the go? Standalone police scanners can range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Unless you're a dedicated emergency radio enthusiast, downloading a mobile app instead might be the thriftiest way to go.
Program your police scanner to receive channels in your area. Setting up a standard digital scanner is often as easy as punching in your zip code and waiting for the device to automatically calibrate itself. Once the scanner is operational, it will be able to pick up all emergency two-way radio frequencies within a given radius. On some older models, it may be necessary to manually identify and connect to local channels through an internal database. If you're not handy with electronics, ask the retailer you buy your scanner from to help you set it up before you leave the store.
Tune into the channel you want to listen to. If you have a digital scanner that calibrates automatically, you'll be able to simply flip back and forth between the preloaded channels for your neck of the woods. For old-fashioned analogue units, you'll need to hit the “Program” button and manually input the number corresponding to be able to listen in. You can pull up a list of emergency radio channels for various cities, states, and territories with a quick internet search. Some of the best police scanner frequency guides: RadioReference.com Digital Frequency Search Zipscanner In addition to law enforcement channels, you'll also be able to receive transmissions from your local fire department, EMS service, Air Traffic Control center, and even military!
Tips & Tricks
Know that some police radio transmissions are encrypted. Many major cities in the US and UK now encrypt all police radio activity, so you might not be able to hear police radio in some places. Fortunately, other emergency radio frequencies are not always encrypted in these areas, so you still stay on top of crime and local emergencies by listening to fire and EMS channels. For a list of encrypted police agencies across the world, check out https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Encrypted_Agencies.
Explore police and emergency radio channels outside of your immediate area. With a police scanner app, you're not limited to the reports being issued in your own community. Spend some time on channels for other cities, states, or corners of the country to catch wind of the latest breaking developments in those areas before they hit the news.
Listen later in the day when most channels are busiest. In many places, there is more police activity in the evening and late at night. If you're listening to local police scanners, tune in between about 3pm and 2am. If you're listening to another region, take the time difference into consideration. If there's a big concert or football game going on in your city, leave your police radio running. Police officers are dispatched in greater numbers during these events, and need to be able to communicate easily. With so many people gathered in one place, you're sure to overhear something out of the ordinary.
Listen for increased excitement surrounding urgent calls. It can be easy to tune out the routine talk when there's not much going on, but pay close attention when the exchanges between the dispatcher and responding officers get louder and faster. There will often be a noticeable shift in tone when a major incident, like a mugging or vehicle pursuit, is going down. If you're flipping through channels at random, be ready to stop when you hear activity pick up. These days, numerical codes aren't used as much, so it's not necessary to try to memorize them. Listening for subtle changes is a more reliable way to catch the big calls.
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