About › Ethics
Why we limit some information
Public-safety radio is legal to listen to, but it was never meant to be a public record. It's working conversation between dispatchers and responders, often about people on the worst day of their lives. We publish it because knowing what's happening nearby helps people stay safe and stay informed. We limit it where publishing would mainly hurt someone.
The people in the calls
Most people mentioned on the radio aren't accused of anything: they're callers, victims, patients, witnesses, neighbors and kids. Even when someone is a suspect, a radio call isn't a charge, let alone a conviction. A searchable website that ties names, birthdates, plates or home addresses to police activity can follow someone for years: in job searches, in their neighborhood, among family.
- Names, dates of birth and license plates read out during records checks are hidden, and that audio isn't played publicly. Spelled-out names and plates are recognized and hidden too.
- Addresses become blocks ("400 block of…"), and maps show a hexagon (about half a mile across in town, a mile outside it, where homes are farther apart) whose center is deliberately shifted. You can see that something happened in your area without learning which house.
- Search only looks at the redacted text, so you can't find a hidden name by typing it in.
- Some channels stay private, such as hospital security and statewide channels full of records checks, because almost everything on them is personal.
The people responding
We don't show which units are on duty, available or busy. That information helps people who want to know when nobody is coming, or when an officer is alone. Dispatch, codes and locations still appear, so you can follow what's happening without tracking individual responders.
Why developing situations feel limited
During a shooting, a stabbing or a similar emergency, we hold back recordings from the scene, put the rest of the feed on a 15-minute delay, and show an alert with a map of areas to avoid. We know that can be frustrating when you're worried and want to know more. Here's why we do it anyway:
- Early radio traffic is usually wrong. First reports of how many people, which direction, what weapon, who is hurt, often change within minutes. Machine transcription of tense, overlapping radio adds its own mistakes. Publishing that live spreads rumors faster than facts.
- Families shouldn't learn the worst from a website. Live chatter can reveal who was hurt before police or doctors have told their families.
- It can put people in danger. Live details about where officers are staging or where a suspect was last seen can help someone avoid police, and can draw onlookers into an unsafe area.
- Crowds get in the way. People heading toward a scene slow down ambulances and fire trucks.
What you still get right away is the part that keeps you safe: where to avoid. Once things have been quiet for a while, the recordings are posted, tagged with the situation, so nothing is hidden for good. If you need confirmed information during an emergency, follow official alerts and local reporters, who can verify before they publish.
What we try not to do
- We don't write news stories, add commentary, or guess at what a call "really" means.
- We don't treat machine transcripts as fact; see the AI disclosure.
- We don't sell or share personal details from the radio.
These limits are judgment calls, and we'll keep revisiting them.