Re: Police radio: Can their statements be considered slander

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On 1/09/03, efishwater wrote:
> Can untrue statements made by police officers over the
> police band radio frequency be considered slanderous? It
> is their frequency but can be listened to by anyone with a
> scanner so is that considered broadcasting to the public?
> Let me know........
Rarely, if ever, would slanderous information be transmitted
on any police band radio. However, information such as: Name,
DOB, Address are commonly communicated via police radios.
Understand that any criminal charge such as: DUI, Domestic
Violence, etc.. is public record. Therefore, if someone is
arrested on a DUI charge, the Officer will relay to his
dispatch center/jail/etc that he is placing an arrest.
Regardless if you are guilty, the charge alone is ground for
public record. However, radio communications are different
regarding any medically related issues. For example, An
ambulance can NOT broadcast with a hospital/dispatch/etc a
patients Name, and relate them to any form of Patient report
to the hospital. This is a direct violation of HIPAA
guidelines, and a patient's right to privacy. Hope this
helps.