Re: Police radio: Can their statements be considered slander

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Sadly enough I think he has been...

On 5/22/05, 00 wrote:
> 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.