An article about encryption

[oregontreehugger]

I don't buy into the theory that crooks are sitting around all day, listening to radio traffic, waiting for the perfect moment to commit their crimes.

But tapping into that fear sure helps radio manufacturers sell a lot more radios and systems with fancy upgrades, such as encryption.

As they say, perception is 9/10ths of reality.

 

[sfd119]

I don't buy into the theory that crooks are sitting around all day, listening to radio traffic, waiting for the perfect moment to commit their crimes.

But tapping into that fear sure helps radio manufacturers sell a lot more radios and systems with fancy upgrades, such as encryption.

As they say, perception is 9/10ths of reality.

They are. I know this for a fact. They listen to the scanner app usually while committing the crime.

 

[aaron315]

They are. I know this for a fact. They listen to the scanner app usually while committing the crime.

This has happened in Indianapolis and surrounding communities as well. There have been several instances where criminals were caught in the act and found listening to police radio traffic via smartphone apps.

 

[2wayfreq]

Yes,
But I thought many of these "Streams" are not in real time? Supposedly, enough of a delay to keep the bad guys out of sync with unit positions.

 

[LEH]

While I understand the concern for 'officer safety', encryption really doesn't help. If the bad guys want to injure an officer, all they have to do is have them respond to a phony call.

A second issue is 'privacy' of personal information broadcast. Systems running encryption usually have computers in cars. Personal information can be transmitted over the data system.

I live in an area where all law enforcement transmissions in my county are encrypted. This is not a major metropolitan area, but suburban.

I, like a couple of other responses in this thread, support encryption of tactical/special operations (e.g., SWAT call out), undercover operations, and distinguished visitor protection. Everything else should be open to the public. Our sheriff has displayed a mixed signal to an 'open' environment to the public. Immediately after a fatal officer involved shooting, he released the dash and body cam video that fully supported the use of deadly force. Too bad he cannot open his communications.

Any department that has a motto of "To protect and to serve" then encrypts their daily operations certainly is not serving the public.

 

[mm]

Oh RR online feeds being used by criminals this happens more often than people know.

Salem Oregon Police just last month had a fugitive escape in what is called Minto Brown park.

During the chase it was reported by a bystander in the park that he/she observed that the fugitive was listening to Salem Police dispatch on their dispatch channel with his I-phone listening to an online scanner.

While engaged in the pursuit and immediately after dispatch informed the officers of the bystanders information some comments were made about the online feed and the request was made by Pd officers in the pursuit to move everyone over to Salem's secondary channel that fortunately wasn't being scanned in the radio reference online feed.

Additionally; For a good time of this summer Salem Pd has been testing P25 clear comms on the secondary channel using talkaround and on the dispatch channel also using talkaround with Salems canine units starting the first phase of P25 testing.


Also recent activity between the canine units on the repeater output/talkaround and on the other 460 channel, also in talkaround, has been noted to be P25 encrypted.

 

[pinballwiz86]

It'll be a shame the more and more encryption gets used. I fear eventually our hobby will have to take a step down and settle for ham radio.

There will always be a TON of radio traffic that can be monitored besides amateur radio. I'm not very worried about it. But it will be a huge loss to not be able to monitor PD/FD/EMS.

 

[mikewazowski]

This discussion can be continued in the Live Audio and Encryption thread in the Rants forum.