Iowa
Washington County police & fire scanner coverage
Scanners play everything: codes, static, every routine call in the county. Nearhold listens to public dispatch radio and alerts you when we hear serious calls near the addresses you choose. If we heard nothing near them that day, we tell you that too, with a recap of what we checked.
Nearhold is not live in Washington County yet. This page shows the public dispatch picture we already track for the county. If someone you love lives here, join the waitlist with their ZIP code: coverage builds in waitlist order, and every ZIP moves the map.
Join the waitlist with their ZIP →The channels, counted
Here is what we count in Washington County today:
Here's the honest picture: we count no publicly monitorable dispatch channels for Washington County right now. Counties come online when public channels appear, or when enough local demand justifies placing dedicated receivers. Your signup is exactly how that second path happens.
Cities and towns in Washington County
Washington County includes Washington, Kalona, Wellman, Riverside, Keota, Brighton, Ainsworth, Crawfordsville, West Chester, Coppock.
The channel counts above are the county-wide picture. Whether we can hear near a specific address in any of these places is what the ZIP check answers.
A scanner tells you everything. Nearhold tells you what matters.
If someone you love lives in Washington County and you don't, a scanner app means listening to hours of radio to catch the one call that matters. Nearhold does that listening for you. When we hear a serious call near the address you choose, you get an email that says what we heard, with the radio clip, so you can hear it for yourself. Every alert is AI-transcribed from public dispatch radio and unconfirmed, and we say so on every one.
How it works
- 1. Check coverage with their ZIP code. If we're not live yet, you reserve a spot and your ZIP moves the map.
- 2. When we're live, add the addresses that matter and what you call them.
- 3. We listen around the clock. Serious calls we hear nearby become alerts. Every evening you get a recap, including the nights when nothing happened.
Common questions
Is Nearhold live in Washington County?
Not yet. Washington County is on our build list, and families reserving spots is what moves it up. This page shows the public dispatch channels we already track for the county, so you can see what coverage would be built on.
Is there a live police scanner for Washington County?
Public scanner feeds exist for many counties, but they play raw radio: codes, static, and every routine call. Nearhold listens to public dispatch radio and sends an alert only when we hear a serious call near the addresses you choose.
Is listening to police scanners legal?
Yes. In the United States it is legal to listen to unencrypted public-safety radio. Decrypting encrypted channels is not legal, and Nearhold never does it. If a department encrypts its dispatch, nobody can hear it, including us.
Why can't I hear Washington County police on my scanner anymore?
Many departments are moving dispatch to encrypted digital systems. Fire and EMS dispatch often remains public even when police encrypt, though this varies by town. Nearhold covers whatever public dispatch audio exists near the address you choose.
Do you guarantee I'll hear about every incident?
No, and you should distrust anyone who says yes. Nearhold reports what we hear on public dispatch radio. It is AI-transcribed and unconfirmed, and it is not a medical alert or emergency service. In an emergency, call 911.
Someone you love lives here. You don't.
Join the waitlist with their ZIP code. Free, and it moves Washington County up the build list.
Join the waitlist →Nearhold provides situational awareness from publicly available dispatch audio. Content is AI-generated from unconfirmed communications and is not an official report. Always verify with official sources. In an emergency, call 911.