Kylie Maree Warner, 48, was defending a charge of offensive use of a telephone, but pleaded guilty at the 11th-hour on Monday.
The Dunedin District Court heard that on April 13 the woman was at her home with a group of people, who also owned two-way radio devices.
Warner connected hers to the Dunedin police radio channel and for 11 minutes delivered a barrage of insults including:
"I’ll come and ram it into your f...en eyes you f...en arrogant ... f...en pig-headed bastard.
"I even have smokes and weed, so shove that up your cockatoo and call it a day.
"I said you’re a f...wit. Did ya hear that? Testing testing."
When questioned by police, Warner admitted she had the device, but claimed she did not believe it could transmit.
Yesterday, counsel Jo Turner said her client had the scanner because her daughter had been getting herself into "bothers".
Warner claimed she used the scanner to keep an eye on what was happening and help protect her daughter.
"That’s illogical, irrational and plainly untrue," Judge Michael Turner said.
"Even if you accepted her implausible explanation ... it shows her attitude toward authorities."
While a deferred sentence was briefly considered, Judge Turner thought the offending warranted a more stern punishment.
"I’m not putting up with somebody unlawfully having a police scanner and then abusing police for 11 minutes ... The community won’t put up with that," he said.
Police prosecutor Simon Reay said the transmission was "not a one-off" and police recognised Warner’s "distinctive voice".
Judge Turner noted Warner had a clean criminal record, apart from a wilful damage charge in 2011.
He sentenced Warner to 80 hours’ community work and made an order for the three scanners and charger that police seized to be destroyed.
