Richmond/Henrico/Chesterfield to encrypt July 2

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Eugene

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Seems like Virginia is going the way of Florida. Started with Hampton, James City County, York County, Williamsburg. Then spread to Gloucester, Middlesex, Essex, King and Queen, New Kent, VA Beach and soon to be Isle of Wight. Now Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield. Shame because there is not one shred of credible evidence that it enhances officer safety. In fact if you look at the FBI UCR it has done just the opposite as assaults and fatalities (non-accidental) are actually on the rise over the last 2 years. The one thing it does do really well is remove accountability, which is the main reason for it I am sure. "And the beat goes on"

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BoxAlarm187

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I'm always perplexed by those who believe that the local governments desire less accountability, so their way to do that is encrypt their LE channels. Anyway, whether we like it or not, police chiefs do not like the idea that their radio comms can now be monitored by anyone with a cell phone, whereas in the past, it took someone spending money and time to program a scanner. It's a sign of the future for our beloved hobby...
 

Eugene

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I agree. So true. I also forgot to mention Spotsylvania Co, Stafford County, Fredricksburg. Also funny the quote from the article "ensuring that the dissemination of in-progress tactics and activities during high-risk events is limited to those whose mission is to resolve events swiftly and with minimal risk to those involved." They have those now, called TAC channels which are already, or could be, encrypted. So the whole argument of total encryption is bogus and everybody and their dog knows it. Yes....such is the future. Hopefully they wont have the paranoia to encrypt Fire/EMS as well.

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Eugene

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And it isn't perplexing to me...in my opinion. Others, particularly in the press, feel that if routine comms cannot be monitored by anyone but the police, the only news people get is what the police want to disseminate, which is very large filter and opens up the idea of misconduct which can now be more easily covered up. One Sheriff in Florida summed it up when he said that non-encryption "kept his Deputies honest".

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BoxAlarm187

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In many news markets, the press are loaned non-TX public safety radios specifically to monitor LE activity.
 

Eugene

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True....and in some they are not. I still think...and from what I have read, a lot will agree, it is an accountability/transparency issue. Agree to disagree.

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bailly2

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that stinks. could listen to the input frequencies with a stock antenna it came with, attenuated. then you will know if something is happening nearby.. better than nothing. although you may know something is happening when you hear sirens. 806.0125 806.0375 806.1375 806.2375 806.3875 806.5125 806.6625 806.7875 806.9125 807.0125 807.05 807.0875 807.1875 807.3375 807.5125 807.6125 807.725
807.8625 807.9625 808.0125 808.075 808.125 808.2375 808.3125 808.4125 808.5125 808.7 808.825
808.95 808.975
 

Eugene

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Well that makes about 1/4 of the State now with some form of encryption. And people called California a "police state" Hopefully Fire/EMS will stay clear, but time will tell.

Eugene KG4AVE
 

kg4usk

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Yep, all police are supposed to be encrypted but FD/EMS will stay clear. At least in Richmond and Chesterfield. I heard Henrico might be encrypting their FD/EMS as well.

When the new P25 radio system is up and running, non-encrypted interop channels will be designated for PD to FD/EMS comms during certain events.

It really does suck. It's the moment I've been dreading! My life will be so empty without knowing about everything going on around me! (Sorry, feeling dramatic... but I'm a squirrel at heart)
 

hyllus100

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I'm very concerned about the lack of accountability this change will bring. Are there no actions that can be taken by those of us that believe encryption brings more harm than good? Are there legal options to pursue? What about contacting local representatives?
 

kg4usk

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I've been thinking about what we could do, and I believe the only angle we can take is the accountability of the public trust. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any trust issues with the police doing their duties, but stuff does happen, and if we have to rely on their own departments for evidence against their own people, that's where I start to have doubts. We do have body cams on most officers around here now too, but still, they do "fail" and video/audio recordings still do "disappear".
Another benefit I think is officer safety in a way. Of course they don't want to public to interfere with law enforcement, but I've heard officers suffer gunshot wounds or wreck their cruisers when help is 10+ mins away. Alot of scanner enthusiasts are public safety personnel, and could render assistance if they happen to be closer.
And personally, I feel safer being able to listen to law enforcement. When I see the plane up circling, I know they're looking for criminals, and I want to be aware of what's going on around my family.
I'm sure I'll catch some flak for what I said, but that's just my viewpoint.
 

jimf

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Let me start by saying that I have been a member of this board for 16 years and this is my 60th post. I don’t typically give my opinion on much, but this issue has effectively put an end to a 50 year hobby of mine. During those 50 years of monitoring I have heard more interesting police call than one could imagine. The only difference between then and now is, I kept what I heard to myself. I did not broadcast it, publish it, or go around in public talking about what I heard.

The technology of scanners has changed so dramatically over the past 50 years and all along the way has added a new level of excitement for the true scanner enthusiast. Unfortunately that same technology has pushed the police into encrypting their operational channels. YouTube, Broadcastify, and other social media outlets have opened everyday police operation up to the masses. Unfortunately some of those are criminals with a cell phone app listening to police traffic while committing crimes. Fairly easy to make a getaway when you hear the police dispatched to the business you are in the middle of burglarizing. Others are those who spend their time following the police around waiting for them to commit some egregious act like parking in the median of the roadway waiting to escort a funeral procession. Then posting it on YouTube like it really matters. Trust is a two way street. Nothing is stopping someone from requesting body camera footage or radio audio if they feel they have been wronged and need evidence.

I honestly think the ship has sailed on stopping encryption in the Richmond metro area. This has been in the works and published in public documents for at least 2 years.

In closing, I know this is a hot topic and everyone has their own opinion on it. This is mine, plain and simple.
 
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