“Three years ago we started putting the infrastructure together for narrow band and digital communications,” Chief Andy Jackson said.

The purpose was because the Federal Communications Commission was requiring first responders to go to narrow band the first of 2013. “As the time drew near, we were preparing,” Jackson said. “The number of channels were becoming limited. As the mandate drew closer, the FCC waived it but is making the push to go narrow band. We went to narrow band analog but there is a great deal of interference because of the channels being close to one another.”

Jackson said there were areas in the city where officers couldn't communicate with Halifax Central Communications. Those areas included inside the hospital, the Carolina Crossroads area, many times on Premier Boulevard and a few spots downtown.

“By going digital we were able to increase our power,” Jackson said. “Now when we transmit and receive from those locations it is done with clarity.”

The police department's new digital radios also have texting and GPS capabilities. “The clarity is unbelievable,” he said. “It's all about first responders being safe no matter where they're at.”

Jackson said this was not an attempt to block people who enjoy listening to scanner traffic from being able to hear calls. “People who have listened to scanners have helped us and have been an asset to help us locate someone we were looking for. On the flip side, criminals use scanners to know where we are going. It has its pros and cons.”

Don't expect converting to a digital scanner to be an easy or cheap process. Digital scanners run anywhere from $400 to $500. But to listen to Roanoke Rapids police there's another $600 worth of software programming that has to be purchased, Jackson said. “We anticipate as more agencies go digital the price will drop. The thing to do is get your software and make sure it's compatible and works before you seal the deal.”