Grainger DMR Now Encrypted

[zachgallop]

Grainger County Law Enforcement and the Ambulance Authority has recently started running encryption on their dispatch channels on their linked conventional DMR system. Supposedly, Grainger County believes that someone “hacked” their encryption so they had to reprogram their radios. This is not surprising because a number of the County Public Safety Admins and Public Safety Personnel always thought they were encrypted when they were not. Also, there were other recent factors that appeared that they figured out that was probably not the case. My guess that got digital and/or RAS confused with voice encryption. Fire is still analog and in the clear.

 

[ki4hyf]

County Public Safety Admins and Public Safety Personnel always thought they were encrypted when they were not.

And these are the people making decisions. I guess in some (most?) places, it's typical.

 

[robertsdoug]

There’s a government agency that is using DMR? That’s shocking. I thought P25 was the absolute standard.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

There’s a government agency that is using DMR? That’s shocking. I thought P25 was the absolute standard.

Interesting discussion regarding the matter on this thread

 

[Coffeemug]

I guess it's about 25 years ago when the City of Philadelphia was getting ready to switch from their old analogue conventional systems to a New P-25 Digital Trunked System. I do remember hearing about how the News Media outlets were pleading with the city of Philadelphia officials to wait until those Media Outlets could upgrade their Analogue Conventional Scanners to P-25 Digital Trunked Systems. I realize the importance of keeping sensitive information related to a crime private. If encryption is necessary to keep sensitive information away from knuckleheads and law breakers on land, then encryption should be used.

OTOH, I think as Law-Abiding citizens, we do have a right to be informed of what's happening in the communities in which we live and work. Of course, it's our responsibility to use commonsense when we monitor Public Safety Systems, either on a Mobile or Handheld Scanner.