Hacker News Reader

Comment by macintux | Hacker News Reader

One caveat: at least in some locales, a license is required to own (or perhaps carry) a police scanner.

Kentucky is one of those states -- if it's in your vehicle -- but, it's a "Secondary offense," and I've been told that they haven't cited anyone for that for 10+ years.

Scanners are legal in all 50 states. In some states its illegal to use a scanner while breaking the law ( this I find funny for some reason )

https://www.zipscanners.com/resources/are-police-scanners-le...

In Indiana it’s illegal to possess one while committing a crime, so even speeding with one installed, whether you’re using it or not, invites more legal difficulty.

Recursive law-breaking. Using the scanner while breaking the law is breaking the law, so by breaking the law while using the scanner, you're also breaking the law...while using the scanner.

Kinda like using a gun in the commission of a felony...is a felony.

Or being arrested and the only charge is resisting arrest.

I think of it more as computing something in "two passes". First, decide if the person committed a crime not in that "tack-on" category. Then, evaluate which "tack-ons" are applicable and possibly make those charges.

Profit motive in the legal system is blatant isnt it ?

pretty sure public service bands don't overlap with ham bands so a ham license wouldn't help even _if_ a license was required for this

It’s a state code question not a technical one.

See Indiana’s law: https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-35-criminal-law-and-proce...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com