Frequently Asked Questions
(Updated November 12, 2021)How does this work?
As hobbyists, we monitor the public safety communications traffic in Washington County, which uses a subset of a larger radio network around the Omaha metropolitan area, and then we tweet about it. In general, this means following the goings-on of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Blair Police Department, Washington County Emergency Management, County Roads, and the volunteer fire and rescue departments of Arlington, Blair, Ft. Calhoun, Herman, and Kennard. We also keep tabs on the Nebraska State Patrol - which uses a separate radio system - and the Blair Municipal Airport.
Which scanners do you use?
We use a older RadioShack Pro-106 mobile scanner, along with a newer Uniden BCD436HP to scan the area radio waves. They have limitations: The Pro-106 is unable to monitor the new technology used by Omaha-area first responders, and both the Pro-106 and BCD436HP suffer from simulcast distortion on Washington County's system. It is easier to monitor the State Patrol's radio system and the Blair airport air traffic control, the last of which is just on AM analog radio between airplanes.
Do you run the scanner feeds for my online app? It has static, can you fix it?
We do not stream any scanner feed to the Internet; there has been an occasional audio stream of Washington County's fire dispatch frequency the past few years on a website and over cell phone apps, but we are not associated with whomever is putting that online - so we can't fix the static problems.
Can you send me audio for a specific incident? Can you post it online?
We do not post scanner audio online.
For specific incidents, we may or may not have a recording- like we said, this is a hobby, and only one of our main scanners has a recording ability. It is very time consuming to download and organize the audio, and we generally delete it on the scanner within a day anyway if for some reason we are recording. Much of the time we are not recording on the scanner, so we can use the 'instant replay' function during incidents. And even if we do have a recording, we generally will not share it absent some compelling purpose.
What is a Priority Call?
We preface posts on incidents that dispatch sends with alert tones (which are about four or five beeps in a row on the radio, although if dispatch really wants to get their attention they can use a flat tone) with "Priority Call"; these calls require immediate attention by police or deputies, and include disturbances or fights in progress, personal injury accidents, intrusion alarms, and other time-sensitive calls.
What is a CAD?
CAD is Computer-Aided Dispatch, which is an internal computer network that dispatch and officers and deputies in the field have access to via terminals in their vehicles. CAD can be used to provide supplemental information from dispatch to the field, like contact names, addresses, and phone numbers, as well as additional details on a incident, without having to broadcast it over the radio. Dispatch also maintains a running log of what happens during an incident, such as the times individuals are arrested.
What is a Code 1, Code 2, etc., for ambulances?
Ambulances report patient conditions en route to the hospital; this also effects if they use lights and sirens. Generally, they mean the following:
Code 1 = Patient is stable, and will be transported to medical facility for care; generally no need for lights or sirens
Code 2 = Patient requires timely medical care, and will be transported to medical facility; ambulance will generally use lights
Code 3 = Patient requires immediate and serious medical attention at a medical facility, ambulance will use lights and sirens
Code 4 = Patient is deceased, law enforcement will usually be contacted at this point
Code 99 = Patient has critical life-threatening injuries and requires immediate medical attention; lights and sirens
What is BLS and ALS? What's an ALS intercept?
There are two basic types of ambulances in the county, referred to as ALS and BLS. BLS is Basic Life Support, ALS is Advanced Life Support. ALS may have more and better equipment for patient care, and will have different manning in terms of EMTs or paramedics, and their training level, than a BLS squad.
If a BLS ambulance picks up a patient that needs ALS-level care, the BLS may intercept (meet) with the ALS at a location in order for the ALS to transfer a paramedic to the BLS squad (or, much more rarely, the patient to the ALS) en route to the hospital, so they get more advanced care sooner.
Why do you post about airplanes at the airport?
One of our team likes to planespot - that is, keep track of airplanes and where they visit - so we have rolled that into the Twitter feed. We monitor the Blair airport frequency, and also use a ADSB device to see which planes may be visiting or flying around. It's just part of the hobby, usually there is no special significance to the planes we highlight, although we tend to focus on the gliders, jets, and helicopters and not the small single-engine aircraft.
When do you post?
Whenever we are available. This is a hobby, not a news operation, and we have day jobs, so posts are generally most prevalent in the evenings - which is when much of the action is anyway, and one of us is available. We generally have one person that runs the Twitter, and one or two who listen to the scanner, depending on who is available and interested in taking a listen. Other priorities - work, barbecues, vacations - often intervene, so don't be surprised if we are out of action for a few days.
Are you guys affiliated with ___?
No, as it says on our disclaimer and social media, we are not affiliated with anyone - that includes law enforcement, media, or other social media accounts.
What do you post?
Everything from calls for fires, medical emergencies, suspicious activity, cattle at large, and rabid animals threatening homeowners, to visits by aircraft to and from the Blair airport.
What don't you post?
With few exceptions, we do not post names or other personal information, exact addresses, and other details that could easily identify a individual. (We do post the locations of incidents at well-known landmarks or businesses.) We also delay our tweets, anywhere from a few minutes to more, to assist first responder safety - and because we sometimes need to clarify information. As noted above, Washington County's radio system is difficult to monitor, and transmissions are occasionally fragmented or difficult to understand - or we miss them entirely.
Additionally, listening to public safety communications is not a right, and Washington County understandably uses encrypted radio channels to handle sensitive matters - and we cannot monitor those.
Finally, we usually do not post the relatively mundane day-to-day activities that form the bulk of what happens in Washington County - traffic stops, civil process serving, and the like.
Also, please see our disclaimer below - the bottom line is that this is a hobbyist website and social media activity, unaffiliated with any media organization, governmental entity, or private party.
DISCLAIMER
This is a hobbyist website and social media account, and should be utilized accordingly. Information may contain errors or inaccuracies; and the operators of this website and its social media account(s), such as Twitter, do not make any warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the content. Links to content on and quotation of material from other sites and/or users are not the responsibility of Washington County Scanner or its operators.
Washington County Scanner and its operators are not associated with any public or private entity, and obtains their information from publicly-available sources. The contents of this website and its associated social media account(s) should not be construed as legal, professional, governmental, or medical advice of any kind.
All information on this site and its associated social media account(s) is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind. In no event will Washington County Scanner and its operators be liable for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information on this site or its associated social media postings. Washington County Scanner and its operators shall have no liability for the accuracy of the information and cannot be held liable for any third-party claims or damages.
(This is a radio and social media hobby folks, do not view our hobby as a professional news outlet - go to the Enterprise for that.)