KC2GVX
Member
I took it upon myself to write a letter to the editor of the local paper here in NJ, the Asbury Park Press about how too many PD's are encrypting everything. I cut and paste the actual letter I sent, and I hope it gets published soon. It was send right before I posted this thread. If anyone gets time, please check the opinion section of www.app.com or the paper itself to let me know when, and if, it gets there. I work a lot, and might not catch it.
What happens when citizens can no longer listen to the people who are supposed to be protecting them? This question comes up often, and when people cannot monitor the police who serve them, it seems as the cops have something to hide. In recent years, many police departments have updated outdated communications equipment with new digital radios. This push is in their best interest, and is recommended by the FCC to fit more users into a crowded radio spectrum. While every police officer deserves the best equipment to do their job safely, it seems some departments need to hide all their activity. With the new digital radio systems common to this area, each department has the choice to encrypt, (which means to scramble or hide) communications so nobody but the department can hear, or leave the communications in the clear. This can be done on a per channel basis, and need not apply to entire systems. Dover Township, Point Pleasant Beach, and Jackson have made the choice to encrypt every single communication, which leaves people with scanners, news members, and other volunteers unable to listen in. While the few people with $400 to spend on a new digital scanner are honest, the criminal element is still out there, and I assume these police departments are out to keep criminals out of their earshot. However, you can check statistics of towns with lower crime rates and who use older unencrypted radios than these towns, like Brick Township, and see scanners are not the threat police think they are. This is where encryption of sensitive information comes in, and departments have the opportunity to block out listeners on special sensitive channels. In fact, in an Asbury Park Press article from March of 2002, Chief Mastronardy of the Dover Township Police told the press how the new system was perfect, and he had plans to only encrypt, or hide, sensitive channels from the public. He did so, and routine traffic on channel one was clear until about July of this year. Just channel two, and other surveillance channels were blocked from the public with scanners, and rightfully so. Now Dover Township encrypts the paid medical units and even the dogcatchers. Other police departments, like Los Angeles, Atlantic City, all of Burlington County, Manchester Township, and Little Egg Harbor have their digital radio systems, but only encrypt sensitive information or stuff the public does not have business knowing. I would be willing to bet Dover does not have half the crime the first three cities have, and they leave dispatch in the clear. This seems a fair approach, since the tax paying public pays into the salaries of the police, and for most of these new radio systems. Honest citizens with scanners can help more than hinder police operations. If a stolen car or wanted person description is given out, someone listening might see the car or criminal sooner than a police unit can arrive. If a dispatch to a medical condition is given out, the neighbor a few houses away might know CPR and can get there sooner than a medical unit does. Police deserve the best tools our taxes can buy to protect us, but when they hide everything they do, it seems they have something to hide. These towns should consider leaving routine dispatch channels open for people into the hobby, and only hide the important stuff.
Dave Lansing, KC2GVX
Toms River (NJ)
What happens when citizens can no longer listen to the people who are supposed to be protecting them? This question comes up often, and when people cannot monitor the police who serve them, it seems as the cops have something to hide. In recent years, many police departments have updated outdated communications equipment with new digital radios. This push is in their best interest, and is recommended by the FCC to fit more users into a crowded radio spectrum. While every police officer deserves the best equipment to do their job safely, it seems some departments need to hide all their activity. With the new digital radio systems common to this area, each department has the choice to encrypt, (which means to scramble or hide) communications so nobody but the department can hear, or leave the communications in the clear. This can be done on a per channel basis, and need not apply to entire systems. Dover Township, Point Pleasant Beach, and Jackson have made the choice to encrypt every single communication, which leaves people with scanners, news members, and other volunteers unable to listen in. While the few people with $400 to spend on a new digital scanner are honest, the criminal element is still out there, and I assume these police departments are out to keep criminals out of their earshot. However, you can check statistics of towns with lower crime rates and who use older unencrypted radios than these towns, like Brick Township, and see scanners are not the threat police think they are. This is where encryption of sensitive information comes in, and departments have the opportunity to block out listeners on special sensitive channels. In fact, in an Asbury Park Press article from March of 2002, Chief Mastronardy of the Dover Township Police told the press how the new system was perfect, and he had plans to only encrypt, or hide, sensitive channels from the public. He did so, and routine traffic on channel one was clear until about July of this year. Just channel two, and other surveillance channels were blocked from the public with scanners, and rightfully so. Now Dover Township encrypts the paid medical units and even the dogcatchers. Other police departments, like Los Angeles, Atlantic City, all of Burlington County, Manchester Township, and Little Egg Harbor have their digital radio systems, but only encrypt sensitive information or stuff the public does not have business knowing. I would be willing to bet Dover does not have half the crime the first three cities have, and they leave dispatch in the clear. This seems a fair approach, since the tax paying public pays into the salaries of the police, and for most of these new radio systems. Honest citizens with scanners can help more than hinder police operations. If a stolen car or wanted person description is given out, someone listening might see the car or criminal sooner than a police unit can arrive. If a dispatch to a medical condition is given out, the neighbor a few houses away might know CPR and can get there sooner than a medical unit does. Police deserve the best tools our taxes can buy to protect us, but when they hide everything they do, it seems they have something to hide. These towns should consider leaving routine dispatch channels open for people into the hobby, and only hide the important stuff.
Dave Lansing, KC2GVX
Toms River (NJ)
