I moved from Alaska to Virginia in 2016. I saw that there was a "**** Load" of police here on the weekends by the OF (Ocean Front). Being Pro-LEO (Law Enforcement Officers) I was glad to see that. I started the first Scanner page in Anchorage Alaska in about 2014. I turned it over to a Admin of mine named Joe. The page had about 8,000 members at that time. The incoming Chief of Police had recently taken over and he cancelled the online scanner (Broadcastify) saying it was always illegal. The page actually grew quickly after that and now I think it is above 24,000. I started our first scanner page (VB Scanners) shortly after arriving and we grew pretty quickly. Along with large numbers of "Friends" we got a good amount of trolls- some were even VB police :). So in order to limit the amount of trash talking, hating, trolls- I started a Members Only Page. I requested $1 a year donation to joing the page. I asked everyone to send it as friend/family because PayPal was taking 30 cents of each $1. Since many people dont read, cant comprhend, or dont care- I upped it the following year (2019) to $2/year. This kept the trolls off because they wont spend even $1 to talk trash to you and then get blocked. It works really well. Now, what do I do with those billions of dollars- well normally I say crack and hookers, as I am a sarcastic prick sometimes. :) Lets see how things add up- 2 scanners $300-500 each 4 computers $200-500 each Broadcastify Membership so I can download and provide you with scanner audio $60/year Storage online for you to hear the audio $50 year Hard drives to store audio files $200 Yearly cookout for Members ($300-400) Ordering memobelia- Coins ($600) The good ones, $250 Bumper Stickers, So, you see there is a cost involved in keeping up with the page and offering what we can. That is what your $2/year goes for.
We started the Members page in the 3rd year (2018) and we try to put some of the important things out on the free page as we call it, but we have had persons that did not agree with us (Imagine that) or that did not like our way of running the page, so they started their own. This is a good thing- it offers more coverage, more opinions and allows people to have a choice. I didn’t want to go to a members only page without their being another way for people to keep up with safety in their neighborhoods. So there are two pages: Virginia Beach Unensored (and it is NOT censored at all), and there was a VB Police and Fire page. They both have good numbers of friends, many of our members are there also. I highly suggest you check them out, especially if you see something and there is nothing posted on our page. Always feel free to ask- hey, whats going on at (insert basic address). We may be listening at the time but haven’t posted yet, or, one of the GREAT things about OUR Members Page is that I record the scanner audio from Broadcastify, and post it every 15 minutes. But wait- it gets better! Before it is uploaded to the mysterious “cloud”, I remove the silent parts of it! So- you could listen to 15 minutes of scanner time, or, you could listen to the recording with the silence removed which often comes out at 5-8 minutes of straight communications. This can help you find out quickly what is going on in an area. You simply log onto the onedrive app, log in with the login and password we give you, and go to the date/time you want to hear. That is something you will not find on the pther pages. You will find some hate on the other pages, mainly they complain about FB is FREE, why would I pay $2 for something that is FREE… “whine…stomps feet…” so, now you CAN pay for your own Broadcastify feed, download the audio clips (30 minutes each) and listen to them for half an hour each to find a call, or for a whole $2 (TWO) dollars a year! (you doing it will cost you $15 or $30 for the year). To me- there is a smart choice to be made but not everyone can figure it out. They also like to say they are going to “Report Us” etc etc (Think it hasn’t been done already in 5 years????). It isn’t us forcing you to make a donation, it is a request- just like the request to join the page. There are two options- Yes, of No. And again- we have the free page even though they are sometimes jerks.
Now, this is a lot to keep up with , so I have a fantastic Admin group that pitches in with posting, explaining, moderating, correcting, deleting, punishing, but mainly helping those that are new to the page. There will be a Answered questions blog later with most of the questions we get. Usually someone will answer it for us though wither an admin of a great member. We don’t have the trolls, and once we do- they usually don’t last very long. So we have a loving, caring group here that really supports each other. You will like it! In case we have a severe disagreement between members or admins and a member, we try to be diplomatic. Before someone is silenced/banned/removed, at least TWO admins have to agree that the correction is the right way to go. I support my admins and for the most part- they don’t take a lot of crap from a new person so please remember our main rule- be polite to each other. Admins are devoting many hours of their time to this page, I am usually going to side with them. That brings us to rule number 2- The Admins, can post whatever they want. After all the work they put in- I think it is fair. So- if you have something that you feel is outside the rules of the page (Scanner/safety related within VB), send it in a message to an admin and ask if they will post it. They may if they agree it is following in the beliefs and values of the page. We do not do Gofundme’s or such here. Personal donation requests are also not allowed. We do from time to time, maybe 3 times a year, post a request for a local citizen help organization or emergency. Now- that being said- we do have another “Freebie” on the page. It is “Whatever Wednesday Post”. You can post whatever you like, except for seriously bad taste like pornagraphy/disgusting posts. You can post your family photos, ask random questions, tell us all about your birthday, etc., mainly people use it to post memes that are usually quite entertaining. You can pitch your favorite food place etc. Just wait or remind us for the “WW post” We always post the green Photos at the top of it. Keep your WW posts inside that comment thread- not just randomly on the page. Those that have no sense of humor or only care about their own crap- can block notifications so they don’t have to see it. Membership- Your membership ($2) is due in the first week of January (or so). You can send it by any means you have. Paypal/CashApp/transfer/etc. Please send it as friend/family so PP doesn’t take their cut. You will see people asking about Lifetime Membership. This is where the best of our supporters feel that they can do better then just the $2/year and help us to improve. It is a $20 max donation (we can negotiate though I suck at it) and then they never have to worry about donating each year again. These folks “May” get a few special privileges or free stuff from time to time as available. They also get either the Bumper Sticker or the Challenge coin for free. Those are usually $5-$9. We also have some scanner pens, basic challenge coins for police ($4, but you can get them online for $19) Photos of these are in the Album of photos under Fantastic gifts Cursing- I don’t care if adults use some rather “Direct: language from time to time. It shouldn’t be constant or excessive, but sometime it really helps you be clear of how you feel. Complaints- text an admin if you have a complaint with a person or post. The admin will check into it and get back with you. Before you report a comment to FB, please simply notify an admin first. FB has started controlling things (that they disagree with) a lot more, and that is one reason we are in the process of moving to USA.Life where we wont be banned/silenced/muted/locked out for no good reason. Codes/abbv’s(Abbreviations) etc- most scanner talk is plain text. Once you listen for a while you understand 90% of what’s being said. If you don’t- just ask but we will post a list of the most common. Also- different members may have their own so you will get used to those. Here is one I catch hell for- “GMA-(Green Male Adult)”. This is basic identification by nearly every police department in the USA. The “G” will usually be B (Black), H (Hispanic), W (White) etc. G would probably never be used unless it was for the Grinch. I used that so I wouldn’t start an argument. You will hear “WM” or “BM” where they don’t know the age of the person. So it is race/sex/Adult or Juvenile. It isn’t racism, it is a quick description of a person/suspect. You will hear a joke about this occasionally that you may not understand. (From those that have been around and heard the arguments). We hear- Why do you have to say he is black/white/brown/green…, that’s racist…”- it is because that is what is put out by the police. If we report a shooting on 1230 block of unlucky lane, and you happen to be on 1230 block of unlucky lane and on one side of the street you have a green man, and on the other side you have a purple man- you MAY want to stay away from the green man since he just shot and killed someone. That is why it is important to post the description. --IT ISNT RACIST BECAUSE THE PERSON COMMITTING A CRIME HAS A RACE.--
Posting No-No’s- We don’t post full/complete names or address’s of victims or victim locations. Now if a shooting occurs at 1234 Main street, we would make it 123x Main Street, or even just 1200 Main Street. We don’t want to give the actual location but will limit it to the block. Those in the area will see the 1-5 cop cars, ambulance, swat team etc and know what location it is. (Or you can listen to the recorded audio and hear the call yourself). Now if John Doe is the suspect in beating of a juvenile, we may mention his name- just like the news would do.
The police have their own dept phones- if you hear them give out a number for an officer to call- DON’T CALL THAT NUMBER. Big no-no. They will tell us, we will probably remove you. You have two options for police- the local Non Emergency number, or 911. Those are the numbers to call unless the police give you a number.
There is a lot more to this then it appears isn’t there? We have created rules to make thing smooth here and not to get on the bad side of the law. They generally don’t like civilians listening to police traffic, and some places do not allow it. VB has been trying to get encryption for over 7-10 years but it is a huge cost that could be used for better things. So please do NOT rush to the scene of an emergency because you hear the address or location. If it is a deadly force incident where weapons are involved- you just showing up will distract the police who are putting their lives on the line for us. If they have to turn to see who you are, what you are doing, if you are a threat, etc- it distracts them from the real suspect, which could get them OR YOU killed. PLEASE do not show up on the crime scene asking questions, saying “I heard on the scanner…” This reemphasizes why cops don’t like civilians listening to scanners- beside the few that do it to skirt the law and commit crimes. If you are in the general area, AND IT IS SAFE (over), we appreciate some photos of the scene from a distance of across the street on a sidewalk. Try not to get the officers faces in the photos- just because it is “Legal” does not make it the best choice. We do not mention SWAT calls until the scene is safe, or it is overly evident that the suspect is aware they are there (Like SWAT announcing their presence over the bullhorn). We also delay posting locations on any SWAT calls or serious threat calls. Once the officers are on scene and stated it is safe we will post info.
News- We have a pretty good relationship with the local news. We usually beat them to the story, but it isn’t their fault. We just report the calls on the scanner, the cops check it out to verify it, and if it is a big one, news rolls out. They cant post scanner calls as fact because many times the calls are not correct or are flat out wrong. Now a shooting with a body- that is pretty much a done deal. So we get more details in and quicker then the news- sometimes by days. But they get the updates from the PD and it verified or discounts what we may have heard. We appreciate getting the follow up details that we may not have heard. Now In Alaska, I was on the news list so we all got the same info at the same time from the pd. I haven’t gotten that here yet.
VB Scanner 4 yrs
I moved from Alaska to Virginia in 2016. I saw that there was a "**** Load" of police here on the weekends by the OF (Ocean Front). Being Pro-LEO (Law Enforcement Officers) I was glad to see that.
I started the first Scanner page in Anchorage Alaska in about 2014. I turned it over to a Admin of mine named Joe. The page had about 8,000 members at that time. The incoming Chief of Police had recently taken over and he cancelled the online scanner (Broadcastify) saying it was always illegal. The page actually grew quickly after that and now I think it is above 24,000.
I started our first scanner page (VB Scanners) shortly after arriving and we grew pretty quickly. Along with large numbers of "Friends" we got a good amount of trolls- some were even VB police :). So in order to limit the amount of trash talking, hating, trolls- I started a Members Only Page. I requested $1 a year donation to joing the page. I asked everyone to send it as friend/family because PayPal was taking 30 cents of each $1. Since many people dont read, cant comprhend, or dont care- I upped it the following year (2019) to $2/year.
This kept the trolls off because they wont spend even $1 to talk trash to you and then get blocked. It works really well. Now, what do I do with those billions of dollars- well normally I say crack and hookers, as I am a sarcastic prick sometimes. :) Lets see how things add up-
2 scanners $300-500 each
4 computers $200-500 each
Broadcastify Membership so I can download and provide you with scanner audio $60/year
Storage online for you to hear the audio $50 year
Hard drives to store audio files $200
Yearly cookout for Members ($300-400)
Ordering memobelia- Coins ($600) The good ones, $250 Bumper Stickers,
So, you see there is a cost involved in keeping up with the page and offering what we can. That is what your $2/year goes for.
We started the Members page in the 3rd year (2018) and we try to put some of the important things out on the free page as we call it, but we have had persons that did not agree with us (Imagine that) or that did not like our way of running the page, so they started their own. This is a good thing- it offers more coverage, more opinions and allows people to have a choice. I didn’t want to go to a members only page without their being another way for people to keep up with safety in their neighborhoods.
So there are two pages: Virginia Beach Unensored (and it is NOT censored at all), and there was a VB Police and Fire page. They both have good numbers of friends, many of our members are there also. I highly suggest you check them out, especially if you see something and there is nothing posted on our page. Always feel free to ask- hey, whats going on at (insert basic address). We may be listening at the time but haven’t posted yet, or, one of the GREAT things about OUR Members Page is that I record the scanner audio from Broadcastify, and post it every 15 minutes. But wait- it gets better! Before it is uploaded to the mysterious “cloud”, I remove the silent parts of it! So- you could listen to 15 minutes of scanner time, or, you could listen to the recording with the silence removed which often comes out at 5-8 minutes of straight communications. This can help you find out quickly what is going on in an area. You simply log onto the onedrive app, log in with the login and password we give you, and go to the date/time you want to hear. That is something you will not find on the pther pages. You will find some hate on the other pages, mainly they complain about FB is FREE, why would I pay $2 for something that is FREE… “whine…stomps feet…” so, now you CAN pay for your own Broadcastify feed, download the audio clips (30 minutes each) and listen to them for half an hour each to find a call, or for a whole $2 (TWO) dollars a year! (you doing it will cost you $15 or $30 for the year). To me- there is a smart choice to be made but not everyone can figure it out. They also like to say they are going to “Report Us” etc etc (Think it hasn’t been done already in 5 years????). It isn’t us forcing you to make a donation, it is a request- just like the request to join the page. There are two options- Yes, of No. And again- we have the free page even though they are sometimes jerks.
Now, this is a lot to keep up with , so I have a fantastic Admin group that pitches in with posting, explaining, moderating, correcting, deleting, punishing, but mainly helping those that are new to the page. There will be a Answered questions blog later with most of the questions we get. Usually someone will answer it for us though wither an admin of a great member. We don’t have the trolls, and once we do- they usually don’t last very long. So we have a loving, caring group here that really supports each other. You will like it!
In case we have a severe disagreement between members or admins and a member, we try to be diplomatic. Before someone is silenced/banned/removed, at least TWO admins have to agree that the correction is the right way to go. I support my admins and for the most part- they don’t take a lot of crap from a new person so please remember our main rule- be polite to each other. Admins are devoting many hours of their time to this page, I am usually going to side with them. That brings us to rule number 2- The Admins, can post whatever they want. After all the work they put in- I think it is fair. So- if you have something that you feel is outside the rules of the page (Scanner/safety related within VB), send it in a message to an admin and ask if they will post it. They may if they agree it is following in the beliefs and values of the page.
We do not do Gofundme’s or such here. Personal donation requests are also not allowed. We do from time to time, maybe 3 times a year, post a request for a local citizen help organization or emergency.
Now- that being said- we do have another “Freebie” on the page. It is “Whatever Wednesday Post”. You can post whatever you like, except for seriously bad taste like pornagraphy/disgusting posts. You can post your family photos, ask random questions, tell us all about your birthday, etc., mainly people use it to post memes that are usually quite entertaining. You can pitch your favorite food place etc. Just wait or remind us for the “WW post” We always post the green Photos at the top of it. Keep your WW posts inside that comment thread- not just randomly on the page. Those that have no sense of humor or only care about their own crap- can block notifications so they don’t have to see it.
Membership- Your membership ($2) is due in the first week of January (or so). You can send it by any means you have. Paypal/CashApp/transfer/etc. Please send it as friend/family so PP doesn’t take their cut. You will see people asking about Lifetime Membership. This is where the best of our supporters feel that they can do better then just the $2/year and help us to improve. It is a $20 max donation (we can negotiate though I suck at it) and then they never have to worry about donating each year again. These folks “May” get a few special privileges or free stuff from time to time as available. They also get either the Bumper Sticker or the Challenge coin for free. Those are usually $5-$9. We also have some scanner pens, basic challenge coins for police ($4, but you can get them online for $19) Photos of these are in the Album of photos under Fantastic gifts
Cursing- I don’t care if adults use some rather “Direct: language from time to time. It shouldn’t be constant or excessive, but sometime it really helps you be clear of how you feel.
Complaints- text an admin if you have a complaint with a person or post. The admin will check into it and get back with you. Before you report a comment to FB, please simply notify an admin first. FB has started controlling things (that they disagree with) a lot more, and that is one reason we are in the process of moving to USA.Life where we wont be banned/silenced/muted/locked out for no good reason.
Codes/abbv’s(Abbreviations) etc- most scanner talk is plain text. Once you listen for a while you understand 90% of what’s being said. If you don’t- just ask but we will post a list of the most common. Also- different members may have their own so you will get used to those. Here is one I catch hell for- “GMA-(Green Male Adult)”. This is basic identification by nearly every police department in the USA. The “G” will usually be B (Black), H (Hispanic), W (White) etc. G would probably never be used unless it was for the Grinch. I used that so I wouldn’t start an argument. You will hear “WM” or “BM” where they don’t know the age of the person. So it is race/sex/Adult or Juvenile. It isn’t racism, it is a quick description of a person/suspect. You will hear a joke about this occasionally that you may not understand. (From those that have been around and heard the arguments). We hear- Why do you have to say he is black/white/brown/green…, that’s racist…”- it is because that is what is put out by the police. If we report a shooting on 1230 block of unlucky lane, and you happen to be on 1230 block of unlucky lane and on one side of the street you have a green man, and on the other side you have a purple man- you MAY want to stay away from the green man since he just shot and killed someone. That is why it is important to post the description.
--IT ISNT RACIST BECAUSE THE PERSON COMMITTING A CRIME HAS A RACE.--
Posting No-No’s- We don’t post full/complete names or address’s of victims or victim locations. Now if a shooting occurs at 1234 Main street, we would make it 123x Main Street, or even just 1200 Main Street. We don’t want to give the actual location but will limit it to the block. Those in the area will see the 1-5 cop cars, ambulance, swat team etc and know what location it is. (Or you can listen to the recorded audio and hear the call yourself). Now if John Doe is the suspect in beating of a juvenile, we may mention his name- just like the news would do.
The police have their own dept phones- if you hear them give out a number for an officer to call- DON’T CALL THAT NUMBER. Big no-no. They will tell us, we will probably remove you. You have two options for police- the local Non Emergency number, or 911. Those are the numbers to call unless the police give you a number.
There is a lot more to this then it appears isn’t there? We have created rules to make thing smooth here and not to get on the bad side of the law. They generally don’t like civilians listening to police traffic, and some places do not allow it. VB has been trying to get encryption for over 7-10 years but it is a huge cost that could be used for better things. So please do NOT rush to the scene of an emergency because you hear the address or location. If it is a deadly force incident where weapons are involved- you just showing up will distract the police who are putting their lives on the line for us. If they have to turn to see who you are, what you are doing, if you are a threat, etc- it distracts them from the real suspect, which could get them OR YOU killed. PLEASE do not show up on the crime scene asking questions, saying “I heard on the scanner…” This reemphasizes why cops don’t like civilians listening to scanners- beside the few that do it to skirt the law and commit crimes. If you are in the general area, AND IT IS SAFE (over), we appreciate some photos of the scene from a distance of across the street on a sidewalk. Try not to get the officers faces in the photos- just because it is “Legal” does not make it the best choice. We do not mention SWAT calls until the scene is safe, or it is overly evident that the suspect is aware they are there (Like SWAT announcing their presence over the bullhorn). We also delay posting locations on any SWAT calls or serious threat calls. Once the officers are on scene and stated it is safe we will post info.
News- We have a pretty good relationship with the local news. We usually beat them to the story, but it isn’t their fault. We just report the calls on the scanner, the cops check it out to verify it, and if it is a big one, news rolls out. They cant post scanner calls as fact because many times the calls are not correct or are flat out wrong. Now a shooting with a body- that is pretty much a done deal. So we get more details in and quicker then the news- sometimes by days. But they get the updates from the PD and it verified or discounts what we may have heard. We appreciate getting the follow up details that we may not have heard. Now In Alaska, I was on the news list so we all got the same info at the same time from the pd. I haven’t gotten that here yet.