Boston Police Closing In

[NickFitz]

Sounds like the suspect is on a boat, and they're moving in. They've just gone to radio silence except for essential comms, but you can listen to those essential comms live, as somebody's put a scanner on a live stream: MA Rt. 9 Window Cam on USTREAM: A live look outside my window. Other 24/7

[NickFitz]

The boat isn't on the water, it's in somebody's back garden at 57 Franklin Street, Watertown:

[NickFitz]

Suspect in custody. Calls for a medic. Also a bomb dog being sent in. Also reports of a suspicious black bag outside a house about two streets away.

[KentPhilip]

What's the point in having police radio if everyone can listen into it?
Have they not heard of encryption?

[NickFitz]

What's the point in having police radio if everyone can listen into it?
Have they not heard of encryption?

At one point they said to the helicopter something like "There's a problem with your downlink. It's being broadcast on the Internet." Turned out they couldn't easily set up any kind of encryption between the chopper (which I think was actually from Customs) and the ground so they were trying to work out what to do, but the chopper was about to go and refuel anyway, and they got the guy shortly after that.

I suspect that, with there being so many agencies involved, they had to use open channels because of equipment incompatibilities; or perhaps they just don't have encryption for local police forces. At one point when a senior police officer needed to speak to the senior FBI guy at the scene, he had to ask him to call him on his mobile.

The scanner stream missed the first few seconds, but here's the police commissioner thanking the troops, and them responding: http://www.nickfitz.co.uk/media/Bost...4-20-02-00.mp3

[NotAllThere]

Some islamist web site was saying this shows the weakness of the Western world, that they're able to cause an entire city to shut down. I think it shows the strength of the Western world and the rule of law - and as a result of it we can afford to shut down an entire city to catch a criminal.

[MarillionFan]

Sounds like the suspect is on a boat, and they're moving in. They've just gone to radio silence except for essential comms, but you can listen to those essential comms live, as somebody's put a scanner on a live stream: MA Rt. 9 Window Cam on USTREAM: A live look outside my window. Other 24/7

Is this the Internet equivalent of rubber necking?

[Troll]

Suspect in custody. Calls for a medic.

No death penalty in Massachusetts - oh dear!

[KentPhilip]

No death penalty in Massachusetts - oh dear!

There is, however, the federal death penalty (that timothy mcveigh got)

[Paddy]

These Chechnyans were branded as "freedom fighters" by the US who granted them asylum. They have been monitored by the CIA and FBI. I think there is a moral somewhere.