Winnebago County Sheriff's Dept. moving to Starcom (encrypted)

Looks like Winnebago County SO is officially moving to Starcom this week. Unfortunately, they are joining Rockford by encrypting their traffic.

Winnebago County Sheriff's Office will encrypt scanners - WREX.com

Funny how you read this then at the same time Departments are opening their communications

Broadcastify just tweeted...
“The City of Birmingham Alabama has made all of their routine public safety dispatch communications available.”

But they're moving to encrypted scanners, not radio's. lol

I like how they word it. "Encrypted Scanners". Wonder how long before some one asks where can they buy a encrypted scanner.

lol I commented in a story about this and someone corrected me and said you can totally listen to encrypted traffic

Encrypted scanners? Wow, the media, who happens to use scanners on a daily basis in their job, really has no clue. Encrypted talk groups or ‘channels’ on a digital system (StarCom21) would be more like it. I guess statements like that demonstrate how little they really know. Glad they take ‘accuracy’ in reporting to a whole new level!

While I'm not against the safety of the officers, as well as protecting 'sensitive information', aren’t there already things in place for this? StarCom21 already had channels set aside for surveillance & tactical projects, which were encrypted from the onset of the system, not to mention the MDT's went to a secure format (as oppose to the old open ASCII on the ALERTS Network), quite some time ago. I think the reasoning behind law enforcement’s migration to encrypted radio systems is more a subterfuge or smoke screen.

I’m sorry, but while these protective measures may have some merit, in the grand scheme of things, they’re just fostering a divide between the law enforcement community, and the public. So much for the neighborhood watches, and joint efforts with law enforcement, to protect the community. Law Enforcement no longer needs or wants, the help of the community. Not the best road to travel, with taxpayer’s dollars.

Did they infact go encrypted today as the article stated?

train_radio_guy said:

I’m sorry, but while these protective measures may have some merit, in the grand scheme of things, they’re just fostering a divide between the law enforcement community, and the public. So much for the neighborhood watches, and joint efforts with law enforcement, to protect the community. Law Enforcement no longer needs or wants, the help of the community. Not the best road to travel, with taxpayer’s dollars.

Click to expand...

I agree. Have seen this take place.

While I no longer live in Winnebago County, I've heard from two separate sources, that the Winnebago County Sheriff, and all communities, for which they dispatch have migrated to StarCom21, and all related traffic is encrypted, as of Thursday, 02-01-2018. I believe this encompasses all Law Enforcement, within Winnebago County. The City of Rockford went down this road over a year ago I believe.

As far as I know, the local fire departments & ambulance services are still in-the-clear, and remain on VHF-Hi, although there's bound to be some interoperability 'built-in' at the PSAPs.

I find it a bit ironic (& sad), that much of the local radio traffic, which was monitorable at one time for so many years, now has so greatly been diminished, and at the same time most of the local sources for radio equipment have all but fallen off the grid. Specifically, I’m referring to the likes of Radio Shack, B&B Electronics, Jack's CB, Skywave, Almar Communications, Jay-Tronics, & Mid-West Associated, just to name a few. There were other retailer & big box stores that carrier scanners at one time too. I realize there are other factors, which led to their demise, but it’s interesting that the two things tracked relatively close together, one ending shortly after the other. There was a time, that Winnebago County had plentiful sources for radio equipment. I guess those days are long gone, just like the once robust economy. Yet another sad chapter in the history of the area.

I guess there’s still a CB Radio Shop at Maggio’s, and Walmart might still sell a few scanners, but that’s about it anymore. Times have sure changed.

train_radio_guy said:

As far as I know, the local fire departments & ambulance services are still in-the-clear, and remain on VHF-Hi, although there's bound to be some interoperability 'built-in' at the PSAPs.

Click to expand...

What I find comical is that Rockford FD F1 is simulcast on Starcom on an encrypted talkgroup. Why? It's not like you can't hear them in the clear on VHF.

train_radio_guy said:

I guess there’s still a CB Radio Shop at Maggio’s, and Walmart might still sell a few scanners, but that’s about it anymore. Times have sure changed.

Click to expand...

That's Jerry, who worked for Bob at B&B and bought it out when Bob passed.. JayTronics is still in business and is my favorite parts stop... Midwest went out years ago.

As for the encryption, it's a shame.. and will lead to the usual "Why don't we get help from the public" statements...

Well, that's how it has turned out here in Joliet, we need the publics help on these murders....Well you "ENC" everything even the FD so I cant tell my family now what to avoid traffic wise....I spoke to the Chief of PD, he says ENC keeps my men safe, the two officers I know personally told me I hope that "ENC" helps when the bullets whiz past my hear "NOT"....Both are over 10 year veterans say they never caught anyone in crime with a scanner but been helped by people with scanners track down fellons,...OWELL such is progress....

RoninJoliet said:

Well, that's how it has turned out here in Joliet, we need the publics help on these murders....Well you "ENC" everything even the FD so I cant tell my family now what to avoid traffic wise....I spoke to the Chief of PD, he says ENC keeps my men safe, the two officers I know personally told me I hope that "ENC" helps when the bullets whiz past my hear "NOT"....Both are over 10 year veterans say they never caught anyone in crime with a scanner but been helped by people with scanners track down fellons,...OWELL such is progress....

Click to expand...

Department I used to work for was on P25 conventional VHF. Had 1 clear dispatch channel and 1 encrypted channel. Encrypted channel was used for (literally) organizing lunch/personal matters and chatting with ER staff back at the hospital. No day to day business was encrypted. As it shouldn't be.

A FD/EMS agency going completely encrypted is stupid.

n9mxq said:

That's Jerry, who worked for Bob at B&B and bought it out when Bob passed.. JayTronics is still in business and is my favorite parts stop... Midwest went out years ago.

As for the encryption, it's a shame.. and will lead to the usual "Why don't we get help from the public" statements...

Click to expand...

I remember seeing Jerry Perryman's name mentioned in Bob's obituary from 2008. I was good friends with Jerry & Joyce Fullerton, who were also good friends of Bob & Beverly for many years. Also known as Sandman; Jerry Fullerton showed me (in my youth) the fine art of adding uppers & lowers (extra out-of-band frequencies) to a C.B. Radio. With ‘special’ crystals & variable capacitors, while using a frequency counter to tweak-in everything, it was surprisingly easy. All of those wonderful crystals came from B&B Electronics. My Uncle Louie knew Bob as well, when he first started out on Andrews Street, before he moved the shop out to Auburn Road. It sucks to see a locally-owned shop like B&B disappear, but other than truck stops, where else are C.B. Radio seen these days? Bob had other neat stuff besides C.B. Radios, but that too is no longer of interest to most folks. Sad.

I was fortunate enough to visit Mid-West Associated, during the liquidation auction (2004 or 2005). There were some good finds (i.e. Xcelite Tools, Fluke Accessories, Weller/Unger Accessories, Switchcraft Connectors, etc.….). When the liquidator was ready to leave & hand-over the keys to the bank (Amcore at the time), the Mid-West Associated storefront still had 40-50% of its contents left. I’m told a great deal of it went to the dump. So sad.

Jay-Tronics closed last year. They had an auction (04-12-2017) on a weeknight, that was ‘quietly’ announced for some reason. After I saw they weren’t open, but prior to the auction, I attempted to reach out to Cathy Licari, inquiring as to when the sale/auction would be held. Unfortunately, she failed to reply my voicemail, even after I spoke with her brother George, who works at Dickerson Nieman. This really sucked, since my parents knew Joe Licari – father of Cathy & George, very well.

With the local Radio Shacks closed, other than the Radio Shack dealership in Monroe, Wisconsin (1-hr from Rockford), Electronics Supply in LaSalle, Illinois (1-hr, 15-min from Rockford), there are no sources of electronic components in the Rockford Area; at least not that I’m aware of.

Radio Shop-wise (2-Way/LMR) in the Rockford Area, there’s still ComElec-East (although they moved to Hydraulic Road) & lost their Motorola Franchise for some reason, Kwik Kall on Short Elm Street – Charlie Brown still works there, & lastly Rock River Service Company, who appears to hold the current Motorola Franchise. Jerry’s C.B. is the last game in town for hobbyist radio. I wonder if he does anything besides C.B.? Scanners, SWL, or Ham?

In the last 15 years, the face of the Rockford area; especially for radio & electronics, has sure changed for the worst.