Emergency agencies begin turning off radio encryption in bid to 'improve transparency'

Police and fire departments are bucking a trend to conceal comms
Say they want communications to be more open and transparent
Encryption can sometimes hamper resuce efforts with multiple agences

Some police and fire departments are bucking a trend to conceal dispatch communications from the public, acknowledging that radio encryption has the potential to backfire and put first responders in danger.

Agencies with digital radio systems have turned off the encryption to their main dispatching channels and others have decided not to turn it on.

They say their officers and firefighters may not be heard during emergencies by responders at neighboring departments with radio systems that either don’t have access to their encrypted channels or aren’t advanced enough to have encryption capability.

Officials also say they are addressing concerns from critics who argue encryption decreases police transparency at a time when it is needed, especially in the wake of shootings of unarmed black people by police officers.

‘The overwhelming opinion of encryption is that it works great for preplanned tactical environments like…READ MORE