The Scanner 911 app ($0.99, iTunes link) provides access to police and fire radios across the country, including some big organizations like the LAPD and NYPD. The app must be doing something right, as it is currently listed in the top ten on the top 100 downloads list. If you have a hankering to listen to (usually boring) police transmissions, this app is certainly worthy of a recommendation.
Scanner 911 includes a good number of police and fire channels, with more added frequently. Within the app, you can record live broadcasts, find a nearby station using the iPhone’s GPS and save frequently used channels to your favorites. When you first log in, you can choose from a list of stations organized by state or use GPS to find stations near you. There’s also a top 50 list of the most popular and active stations.
In addition to a popularity bar, Scanner 911 also clearly displays whether the station is active or offline. I used GPS to find my local county sheriff, opened the station and… nothing. It’s not the app’s fault, but I guess my local sheriff isn’t very busy. I finally did hear a few transmissions between deputies and the dispatch, but it was hardly exciting stuff. The vast majority of the conversations went like this:
Officer: 1015. I’ve got Central.
Dispatch: 10-4.
And that was it, which kind of makes me wonder why police scanner apps are so popular — most of the time nothing exciting is going on. Thinking I would get more action from a big city police department, I switched over to the LAPD.
Their transmission was certainly more active, but you’re still listening mainly to static and beeping. Once you actually get someone talking, it’s sometimes hard to even understand what they are saying. I couldn’t connect to the NYPD’s station because of some sort of connection error, even though I had a strong Wi-Fi connection at the time.
San Diego’s police and fire station was the most interesting I found. I listened to conversations about a DUI accident (in which the driver hit three parked cars, but fortunately no one was injured) and a suspected burglar in someone’s backyard.
Conclusion
If you want a police scanner app, you should definitely take a look at Scanner 911. It has an easy-to-use, polished interface and all the features work as they should. For the most part, connecting to each station is quick and painless, although that will vary based on your signal strength. The app is definitely worth $0.99 if you’re into this sort of thing. That said, I still don’t see the attraction of police scanner apps. Unless you’re a serious police or crime buff, there’s really very little of interest going on.
Scanner 911 is a $0.99 download from the iTunes App Store.