Most people probably wouldn't think of the local police as one of the vanguards of mobile computing technology, but the Police in Memphis, Tennessee are pushing the envelope, and its saving them time and money.
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Member since:
2005-09-15
There's one thing that gets me wondering how good this can be. If law enforcement become slave to these tech, what would be their reaction if it becomes unusable right away? And what are the security around this?
Like this smartphone surely use the standard GSM waves. Nothing could stop me from sniffing packets and grabbing data if thing aren't rightly encrypted.
And if I get pulled over, what stops me from having a wave jammer in my car trunk, leaving the poor officer without any mean to verify my plate/id. Would he let me go?
Member since:1997-10-01
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2008-07-15
Well, Verizon actually uses CDMA not GSM, but your questions hit the nail on the head. Then again, as far as security goes, radio signals can be intercepted as easily as any phone signal, even easier given that often those transmissions are in the clear, full voice and everything. You can even buy devices to do that... they're called police scanners. You can listen to their radio traffic through these, it's just a radio tuned into the proper frequencies, though without the ability to talk on those frequencies obviously.
Data interception would take a bit more effort, though it could be done. But I don't really see how it's any less secure than the radio system. anyone determined enough is going to find a way around whatever system is used and whatever security measures that are put in place.
I think becoming dependent on this technology is more dangerous. Just take a look around and you'll see how dependent even the average person is on technology these days, then apply that dependence to the police force. I think they'd better keep their radios on hand even with this new system in place.
Member since:2005-07-06
last month the german mickey-mouse magazine included a little radio (some spy-super-duper-crap)
only problem was that you could realy listen to german police-radios with it
i'm not sure how the whole thing ended for disney...
Member since:2008-07-15
only problem was that you could realy listen to german police-radios with it
Is that illegal in Germany? It's not illegal here in the U.S to own a police scanner that allows you to listen in to local police radios. I think there are regulations on how far they can receive and the like, and obviously they're not allowed to contain any decryption software so no listening into the CIA or FBI, , but it's perfectly legal to own one that allows you to listen to your local police.
Member since:2006-10-08
Is that illegal in Germany? "
It is. You are not allowed to receive any transmissions that are not intended for you / your rig. Police radio is part of our BOS (authorities and organisations with security concerns) radio system. This BOS radio is not public, as for example, CB and amateur radio are. Technical documentation is mostly public, even organization principles, frequencies, signal codes and call names can be obtained legally via books (e. g. Marten: BOS handbook, vol I and II).
In fact, it's not illegal to own such a kind of receiver in Germany. It's just illegal to turn it to BOS frequencies and listen to the police talk.
Special circumstances apply when a radio amateur accidentally receives messages that are not intended for him / his station. He has the duty (1) not to talk to others about the content of the messages received, (2) or the fact about receiving them, and (3) not to record them to an audio device or write them down or process them in any other way.
The only ones who are allowed to participate in BOS radio are those who have an explicit permission from the local authority they belong to, e. g. the police, the fire department or the hospital helicopter. They may do so only while they are on duty. They may not listen to police radio when they are at home.
As I said: In Germany: Own yes, listen no.
Member since:2007-05-10
We implemented a similar system for a small local police department a few years ago.
The hardware was a pentium M powered 1024x768 touchscreen "brick pc", mounted on an movable arm with a separately mounted usb backlit keyboard/trackpad that could be detached and pulled onto the officer's lap. The system connected to HQ over CDMA modems, but all traffic was encrypted (AES) over an IPsec VPN tunnel.
We still support the system and it works rather well.
Member since:2009-04-21
Member since:
2008-07-15
I've used the Redfly terminals, though the one I used was the more expensive model with the eight hour battery. They're really nice devices, they can pretty much turn that Windows Mobile smartphone you have into a equivalent of a low-powered netbook. They're perfect for this kind of task, I'm surprised this is the first time it's been tried.
Member since:
2006-11-02
Member since:1997-10-01
Of course you are certainly correct. I should have been more precise in my language. The Redfly is a terminal, and depends on the portable device's memory and CPU, but it requires some processor and memory for its own operation. I'm not actually certain of the specs, however.
Member since:
2009-04-22
In every success there is always an abuse of advancement. We now have high tech gadgets. As it grows tremendously criminal acts becomes indisputable. But anyway, my point here is to create a security despite of unsecured environment. Just recently, an FBI officer accused of abuse of authority. sneaking around the dressing room inside the mall. Cell Phone has a lot of advantages. you can now install it to your car as a GPS tracking device. It would sounds great if enough members of the open-source community would take notice and create great applications for it.
http://spyville.com/telephonerecorder.html>Spy
Edited 2009-04-22 08:29 UTC