Cary PD going encrypted, others to follow?

Just yesterday I learned that Cary PD is going to start encrypting their radio transmissions. I'm very disappointed to learn this, and I wonder if it means that other organizations in the Triangle area will start encrypting. I mean, pretty much all I care to listen to is Cary... and I won't be able to do that for much longer. Does this mean that my nice, expensive digital trunking scanner will soon be a paperweight?

mod edit to reflect that ONLY Cary PD is going encrypted--KE4ZNR

It means you can sell it on eBay for a good price to someone in another area. But, before you do remember you still have Wake county, Viper, and a few other trunked systems around the triangle

Sent from my LGLS740 using Tapatalk

if cary police is really all you want to listen to, you could monitor the input frequencies to their trunked system, won't hear any conversations, but it willl tell you which group is nearby, turn up the squelch all the way and you'll know if something is happening a block away.

the wake county system has fireground channels (i have to be real close to hear those with my fire department on a vhf simplex system), paramedic to hospital talkgroups that give patient reports, tac channels probably got some interesting stuff

on the statewide viper system, could listen to the state police raleigh talkgroups, they have a talkgroup specifically for wake county.

To hopefully quell some fears please remember that ONLY Cary POLICE is encrypting
their comms....Cary Fire and EMS can still be monitored.

And as others have said there are many other monitoring targets on the Wake System or on the VIPER system.
Marshall KE4ZNR

I do think it's pretty funny that a few years ago Cary PD switched from ten codes to plain English, and now they're going encrypted.

Disappointed to hear this; have been in Cary 3 times in the last month; was just there yesterday. CPD is very active. Is there a time table that this will occur?

My email to cary officials

I suggest that listeners email Town officials. Make sure the corrorpondence is polite and respectful. Email addresses can be found at: Cary Town Council



Dear Chief Blazemore:

I am a amateur radio operator and I came across the following article concerning encrypting the public safety radio system of Cary.

Cary Police to Use Encrypted Radio Traffic Starting in the Fall - Time Warner Cable News

I understand that sensitive radio traffic, i.e.: drug surveillance, should be encrypted but routine dispatch information should not.

Why? I have attached some articles which prove that when police radio traffic is monitored by law abiding citizens law enforcement has been helped.

City

KSL cameraman goes to the rescue | Deseret News

The Davis Clipper - Teen crashes in stolen car after Syracuse chase

Teen Arrested After Burglary, Foot Chase

Police Radio Encryption: Not Secure, A Transparency Failure, A Public Safety Nightmare | The Cardinal

Police believe home invasion suspects were looking for drugs - News - The Daily Telegram - Adrian, MI - Adrian, MI


Police arrest suspect in W-B bank robbery - Citizens' Voice

Then there is the claim of officer safety. I suggest that members of Town Council and the Mayor ask you to provide just one example of how and when this occurred. I doubt you will be able to give them a documented incident.

Please consider keeping the routine dispatch communications open to the citizens who are paying for the radio system though taxes.

and now the Chiefs quick reply.
Me. Reynolds,
Thank you so much for your comments. I can tell you that our intention in encrypting our radio traffic was never to keep the general public or the media out. If you go to the apps that are available for smartphones, you will see there are so many free apps that allow the general public and the criminals or would be criminals to monitor our police dispatch channels. Technology is a good thing but this is an example of a time when it is not necessarily good. Last year we had numerous businesses that were being broken into after hours and when we eventually caught the bad guys, they told us they had been monitoring our radio traffic and were able to avoid being apprehended. As I said in the interview, our primary goal in encrypting our radio traffic is to keep our officers safe. We will continue to work with the media, our public information officers, and our citizens to keep Cary one of the safest places to live in America. Thanks again for your input.

I suggest everyone take a deep breath and calm down. The FBI has supposed to have been encrypted for years in Raleigh, however the morons have no idea how to use their equiptment and I hear comms in the clear all the time that I think they believe are secure. I have a wait and see attitude on this. Most police officers have no idea how to use a radio other than hitting the PTT and talking. Now there are ways to set up things so they are dummy proof, I won't go into it here, in case someone from CPD is reading, I'll offer no info on how to set things up correctly, let's just see how it works out for them.

10-95, couldn't you have said "an unnamed agency"? (which could mean local, state, or federal). after reading that they are likely to encrypt, even without the insult

bailly2 said:

10-95, couldn't you have said "an unnamed agency"? (which could mean local, state, or federal). after reading that they are likely to encrypt, even without the insult

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How about you police your own posts. The local agents are idiots and have had no idea how to operate their equiptment. I have mentioned this and them in numerous posts overthe years and they have never fully encrypted, they just don't have anyone in the field office who's up on how their stuff works. I have violated no forum rules, now if i start posting the contents of their communications please feel free to hop in and slap my hand.

And with the amount of harrasment the local agents engage in, it would be wise for them to learn their system. I think back to the night a few years ago when they were using infared cameras to watch a person of interest, and one decided to look in the window while the young lady used the toilet. Truely an agency with no oversight or supervision on a local level..

Unless it has changed since I retired the SAC is in Charlotte.

WA4MJF said:

Unless it has changed since I retired the SAC is in Charlotte.

Click to expand...

That's interesting Ronnie, never knew you worked for the FBI, I always thought you retired from the NC DMV enforcement division. Yes, the FBI has had an office for a number of years at Capital Center in Raleigh right on the Cary line.

Allright I think this thread has run its course.
Time to put it to sleep
Marshall KE4ZNR