Re: Police radio: Can their statements be considered slander

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Do you think ol' fishwater has been waiting for the answer to
this question for 2 1/2 years?

On 5/22/05, Wes Dixon wrote:
> 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.