Hendricks county fire dispatch going encrypted

[speedway_navigator]

Same with all of the automated dispatch today. Also noticed they run locution a little more often on Morgan County too.

I noticed the system increased speed about 20% a few years ago, right now it seems to be faster than yesterday. Makes you wonder if the system got hacked. Hccom use to do manual dispatching every few months just to make sure manual fail over worked but have not heard it in probably 6 months.

 

[INDY72]

Yeah, MESA does routine training using live dispatchers. Noticed Hendricks hasn't in ages.

 

[AK9R]

Hendricks 911 post this on Facebook this morning:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING RADIO ENCRYPTION:
This September, Hendricks County 911 will expand encryption to additional public safety radio channels. This enhancement is designed to better protect sensitive information, support responder safety, and ensure public safety communications reflect current industry best practices.
The transition will primarily affect fire and EMS communications throughout Hendricks County and follows the successful implementation of encrypted law enforcement channels already utilized by public safety agencies across the county.
"In addition to protecting privacy, encrypted communications help enhance the safety of emergency personnel operating in the field,” said Renee Tomlinson, Director of Hendricks County 911. “Public safety agencies frequently respond to active crime scenes, serious vehicle crashes, fires, and other dynamic incidents where unrestricted access to radio traffic could compromise operations or create additional safety concerns for responders, victims, witnesses, and the public.”
The transition reflects a growing trend among public safety agencies nationwide as technology advances and expectations surrounding privacy and information security continue to increase.
Radio traffic on these channels will be publicly accessible on a delay, and public safety agencies throughout Hendricks County remain committed to transparency. Residents will continue to receive important information regarding emergencies, public safety incidents, road closures, community alerts, and significant events through official agency websites, social media channels, media releases, public records, and emergency notification systems.
For most residents, this change will have little to no impact on how you receive public safety information. Emergency alerts, road closures, major incidents, community notifications, and public safety updates will continue to be shared through official agency websites, social media channels, media releases, public records, and emergency notification systems.
For those who monitor radio traffic, fire and EMS communications will remain available through public scanner platforms. However, location information and certain sensitive details will be delayed by approximately 30 minutes. This delay helps protect the privacy of individuals involved in emergencies and enhances the safety and security of active incident scenes while still allowing public access to radio communications.

I commented on this post:

At yesterday's Hendricks County Commissioners meeting, you said that this encryption would only be applied to 32F-DSP, the initial dispatch talkgroup. You also said that the fire operations talkgroups would remain in the clear. Your post here doesn't make that distinction. Has there been a change since the Commissioners meeting?

Renee Tomlinson, who is the Hendricks 911 Director replied:

there has been no change to what was said in the meeting. We are only encrypting that channel for the public. However, in the background which affects HC911 and responders only, it might need to be 2 channels to accomplish our goal.

 

[Dispatch2323]

Of the County 911 Directors I've worked for, all said encrypting fire comms is not a good idea and generally ends within a year or so due to mutual aid issues.

 

[speedway_navigator]

Did anyone search the text from her post to see if it's copied from other sites? Our former governor appears to have done this during covid with his BS about restricting movement and wearing masks.

 

[infinite_wisdom]

A trustworthy source told me that Hendricks County 911 spent right at $70,000 on all new Unication fire pagers for the fire departments so they can handle ENC. This is part of the master plan so they can shut down VHF. Lots of taxpayer money going out the door already just so the general public can't be in the know.

 

[Dispatch2323]

I worked in Orange County, FL when everything (including fire) went encryption. It really didn’t change anything. Media, scanner pages and people that chased emergency crews to scenes still showed up as before encryption. The information always gets leaked out. I’ve already read of a page forming (signal app) that will still post fire/ems calls from a couple of public safety sources that disagree with the overreach of Hendricks County. The commissioners will then go to the 911 Director and ask why people/media still show up in near real-time after they spent money to encrypt.

 

[infinite_wisdom]

I worked in Orange County, FL when everything (including fire) went encryption. It really didn’t change anything. Media, scanner pages and people that chased emergency crews to scenes still showed up as before encryption. The information always gets leaked out. I’ve already read of a page forming (signal app) that will still post fire/ems calls from a couple of public safety sources that disagree with the overreach of Hendricks County. The commissioners will then go to the 911 Director and ask why people/media still show up in near real-time after they spent money to encrypt.

They act like people are showing up in tour busses to see what is going on. There is one guy who goes to the scene as a media source. He has always been respectful from what I can tell.

Also, as a side note: did anyone see HCCC get called out on Facebook for turning the police feed delay to 30 minutes? I noticed the feed has returned to the normal 15-minute delay.

 

[speedway_navigator]

They act like people are showing up in tour busses to see what is going on. There is one guy who goes to the scene as a media source. He has always been respectful from what I can tell.

Also, as a side note: did anyone see HCCC get called out on Facebook for turning the police feed delay to 30 minutes? I noticed the feed has returned to the normal 15-minute delay.

I noticed the delay change last week but the commissioners have police encryption on their Tuesday meeting agenda.
In the old days I would say 'stay tuned' but that does not work with encryption. I should be there so I can post on what happens.

This photo is from a fatal crash, I sent it to some fire chiefs to show a ladder truck being used for extrication.

https://gray-kpho-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/LAZXUZ45L5DXFFMSBC3LVJH2JE.png?auth=514f96a147ab19108e6fcd96de5fb9f096d370a7ca6fb6f3fa2af1258a54b6a5&width=1300&height=730&smart=true

I count about 15 guys in safety vests standing around watching the rescue, makes me wonder if they are all cops.
Back in my college days I was with an off duty Speedway cop when we came across a bad crash on 465. We walked up to see if the troopers needed help, an off duty IPD cop was there and told me to leave.

My buddy told him he was with me, when we got back to his car Bill said "I don't know why he was so bossy, he's just standing there watching like us."

 

[speedway_navigator]

Jared McKee asked to change PD encryption back to 30 minutes to match fire and all commissioners approved.

 

[speedway_navigator]

I got kicked out of the communications advisory board meeting today by deputy operations director Greg O'Brien.

Staff Directory • Greg O'Brien

www.hccom.org

I have attended these meetings in the past as a mere 2nd class taxpayer, no one had a problem with me exercising my rights as a citizen until today. I was there in May when I learned about the $1.1 million request to buy 17 new consoles. I bet this is in direct response to me asking the county council not to approve this.

I will file a complaint with the public access counselor. Her office is way behind, my last request from April is pending even though state law says the PAC has 30 days to investigate. It was better when Luke Brit was there.

Governor diverts staff to address public access counselor office backlog • Indiana Capital Chronicle

Gov. Mike Braun late Wednesday responded to a letter from media organizations around the state threatening litigation if the Indiana Public Access Counselor doesn't meet statutory

indianacapitalchronicle.com

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2026/07/29/public-access-counselor-jennifer-ruby-comes-under-fire-from-media-coalition/91090767007/

 

[speedway_navigator]

This is from today's Hendricks county communications center budget request to our county council. I intended to be in the room but our EMA director asked me to join her in a meeting with the health dept and some fellow ARES members so I did. If I hadn't stopped in her office to raid her candy jar I would have been in the hearing room.

This is Eric Wathen asking about the delayed feeds for fire and law.

Renee and Jared asked for money to start using AI for non 911 calls. When I asked her about this in the May advisory board meeting she said
she "didn't want to be on the bleeding edge of new technology" but seems to have done a 180. Maybe I should invoice the comm center for increasing her awareness....

So far deputy director of support services Jared Teany has not returned my voice mail to find out if they have our county highway department's VHF channel in their console.

We don't have it in our EOC and both the EMA manager and I feel it would be a big advantage. They went from analog to NXDN so I changed what had been a control station for them to our state's DHS backup VHF system.

It turned out the advisory board failed to meet a quorum so they could not officially approve the budget before Renee did her request this morning. When I was on the board we met at 6pm, now it's 2.30 so I bet many folks have to work their full time jobs.

​

 

[AK9R]

It turned out the advisory board failed to meet a quorum so they could not officially approve the budget before Renee did her request this morning.

And the advisory board's minutes are available where?

 

[speedway_navigator]

If the county had them they should be here

Browse Documents

The official website of Hendricks County, Indiana

www.co.hendricks.in.us

If the communication center has them they should be available by request here, no reason to just list them to make it easy for
the public.

Public Request Forms | Plainfield HCCC, IN

We are only able to provide dispatch records and do not have police report access. If you need a police report you will need to contact the law enforcement agency that took your report directly to obtain.

www.hccom.org

I was able to dig up many from the past when I got on so I could be more informed, this is what I have.

Index of /minutes/

 

[infinite_wisdom]

This is from today's Hendricks county communications center budget request to our county council. I intended to be in the room but our EMA director asked me to join her in a meeting with the health dept and some fellow ARES members so I did. If I hadn't stopped in her office to raid her candy jar I would have been in the hearing room.

This is Eric Wathen asking about the delayed feeds for fire and law.

Renee and Jared asked for money to start using AI for non 911 calls. When I asked her about this in the May advisory board meeting she said
she "didn't want to be on the bleeding edge of new technology" but seems to have done a 180. Maybe I should invoice the comm center for increasing her awareness....

So far deputy director of support services Jared Teany has not returned my voice mail to find out if they have our county highway department's VHF channel in their console.

We don't have it in our EOC and both the EMA manager and I feel it would be a big advantage. They went from analog to NXDN so I changed what had been a control station for them to our state's DHS backup VHF system.

It turned out the advisory board failed to meet a quorum so they could not officially approve the budget before Renee did her request this morning. When I was on the board we met at 6pm, now it's 2.30 so I bet many folks have to work their full time jobs.

​

How does an "Advisory Board" approve a budget merely hours before it is supposed to be presented to the county? Seems very last minute to me.

 

[INDY72]

How does an "Advisory Board" approve a budget merely hours before it is supposed to be presented to the county? Seems very last minute to me.

How does the US Senate pass a bill they haven't read, at 4am when no one is watching them? Hint, no one is watching them.

 

[speedway_navigator]

It turned out the advisory board did not approve the budget because they did not have a quorum. Until Renee was hired we met at 6pm in the main meeting room in the govt center in Danville. Now they meet at 2.30pm in the 911 center. It appears members who have jobs can't break away for mid day meetings.

Section 4.02 Budget. Plainfield shall recommend the annual budget for
the Center, after prior consultation with the Advisory Board. On or before August l5
of each year, Plainfield will provide the County Council with a request for an
appropriation that will cover the expected costs associated with the operations,
maintenance and capital expenses for the next fiscal year.