ENCRYPTION

[bobcraig]

Tonight, an apartment on the north side of Johnston was
shot up by person or persons unknown. LEO from all over the area is setting up a parameter.

What strikes me as strange, is that they encrypt the main dispatch channel where the most routine stuff happened. And leave wide open Sub regional 1 Tac 112, where obviously something much more serious is going on, and I can hear all of it. I have Sub Regional 1 Tac 112 in my sds100 in order to hear fire mutual aid.


Just seems like when the officers are putting their lives on the line dealing with an active shooter, that's what encrypted is made for! Not this petty routine stuff!

Bob Craig

 

[baker50021]

Amen...

 

[GTO_04]

Tonight, an apartment on the north side of Johnston was
shot up by person or persons unknown. LEO from all over the area is setting up a parameter.

What strikes me as strange, is that they encrypt the main dispatch channel where the most routine stuff happened. And leave wide open Sub regional 1 Tac 112, where obviously something much more serious is going on, and I can hear all of it. I have Sub Regional 1 Tac 112 in my sds100 in order to hear fire mutual aid.


Just seems like when the officers are putting their lives on the line dealing with an active shooter, that's what encrypted is made for! Not this petty routine stuff!

Bob Craig

Don't say that too loud. Now they'll just encrypt everything!

 

[RaleighGuy]

LEO from all over the area is setting up a parameter.

What strikes me as strange, is that they ... leave wide open Sub regional 1 Tac 112,

Mutual Aid ... Many departments don't want to share the keys to the kingdom so they keep one door open for outside agencies to sneek in. Bet if they didn't have outside help that door would have been closed. We have the same thing in my county, OPS and TAC TGs are locked down, but one TG is left open for working with various agencies.

 

[bobcraig]

Am I correct in thinking that these TAC channels are technically part of the Iowa State Patrol system since they are on the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Network? I'm pretty sure I've heard Tac 112 used by Polk County fire if they are working with an adjoining county. Another interesting tidbit from last night. The officers were calling Sub Regional 1 TAC 112 "law tac 1"

Bob

 

[timkilbride]

Am I correct in thinking that these TAC channels are technically part of the Iowa State Patrol system since they are on the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Network? I'm pretty sure I've heard Tac 112 used by Polk County fire if they are working with an adjoining county. Another interesting tidbit from last night. The officers were calling Sub Regional 1 TAC 112 "law tac 1"

Bob

Most units don't actually switch to the sub regional / tac talkgroups on ISICS. The PSAP's patch their TG to whatever TAC talkgroup the incident is on. In other words, the officers don't physical change TG's so their radio will still display LAW TAC 1 or whatever talkgroup they were on.

Tim

 

[bobcraig]

Tim:

Okay. That makes sense. Thanks!

Bob

 

[radioboy75]

Most units don't actually switch to the sub regional / tac talkgroups on ISICS. The PSAP's patch their TG to whatever TAC talkgroup the incident is on. In other words, the officers don't physical change TG's so their radio will still display LAW TAC 1 or whatever talkgroup they were on.

Tim

They can also patch in non-trunked or even analog channels. During the Amber Alert kidnapping arrest in NW Iowa recently, at least two counties' main dispatch channels were patched into an ISICS TAC channel . . . So even citizens with only a digital (non-trunking) scanner or those without the ISICS system programmed in could hear most of the traffic.

 

[bobcraig]

I didn't know that. I'm glad they got that guy!


Bob