Hear What’s Happening Around Pittsburgh
Live Pittsburgh Police zone dispatch, Allegheny County, fire and EMS — on a scanner we set up for your address before it ships.
Yes — and Pittsburgh is something special. It is one of the last major American cities where the police still dispatch in plain analog, in the clear, on channels a straightforward scanner can hear. Zones 1 through 6, the county police, and county fire and EMS all come through a radio we program for your exact address.
What you’ll be hearing
Your zone
Pittsburgh dispatches by zone — Zone 1 North Side, Zone 2 Downtown and the Hill, Zone 3 South Side, Zone 4 Oakland and Squirrel Hill, Zone 5 the East End, Zone 6 the West End.
Allegheny County & the boroughs
County police dispatch plus the regional channels that carry the dozens of small borough departments around the city.
County fire & EMS
Fire and ambulance dispatch across the county’s north, south, east and west zones — still open, still analog.
River valleys and winter
Flooding on the three rivers, ice on the parkways, and the incidents that close the tunnels — heard as responders work them.
We do the hard part for you
Nothing to program. Tell us your Pittsburgh address and we load your zone, the neighbouring zones, county police and county fire. Because the city is still analog, you don’t need expensive gear here — and we’ll say so instead of upselling you.
Not in Pittsburgh? We program a scanner for any U.S. address.
Check your area free and see exactly what you can hear before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pittsburgh police radio encrypted?
The three main dispatch channels covering all six zones are unencrypted analog and were deliberately kept that way. Some tactical and administrative channels were encrypted, but city dispatch is open — which is genuinely rare for a city this size.
Do I need an expensive digital scanner?
No, and that’s the good news. Because Pittsburgh dispatch is still analog, an affordable scanner does the job here. We’ll recommend based on what you actually need, not what costs the most.
Will I hear the State Police?
No. Pennsylvania State Police encrypted statewide in 2019. City, county and fire traffic are all still open, which is where the action is anyway.
The hills block my reception — what then?
Pittsburgh is the toughest terrain of any city we cover. Mount Washington, the Hill and the Mon Valley create deep radio shadows. If your address sits in one, we’ll tell you before you order and recommend an outdoor or attic antenna.
Do I have to program it myself?
No. It ships already set for your exact Pittsburgh address.
Shop police scanners for Pittsburgh →
Photo: Dllu / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
