Allegheny county investigating unauthorized and hateful radio transmissions

Officials say the public safety system was not hacked, and emergency operations remain unaffected.

Pittsburgh, PA – Allegheny County Police and Allegheny County Emergency Services are investigating a series of unauthorized radio broadcasts made over a public safety channel on March 2 and 3, 2026.

Key Points

Unauthorized radio user transmitted hateful and threatening messages on a county channel.
The transmissions came from an analog device not registered to the county or city.
Public safety operations were temporarily shifted to secure channels.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is assisting in the investigation.

Officials said the first incident occurred on March 2 and a second round of transmissions began around 10 a.m. on March 3. During both incidents, an unidentified individual used a non-registered analog radio to access a public safety frequency and broadcast hateful and threatening statements.

Authorities emphasized that the county’s radio system itself was not compromised or hacked. Only a single channel was affected, and emergency services were moved to a secure channel during the investigation to prevent disruption.

The investigation is ongoing, with Allegheny County Emergency Services, County Police, and the FCC working to identify the individual responsible.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.

Tags: allegheny county, public safety, fcc

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