He pops in from time to time and makes random posts like these but has never added any proof when asked to.
If they switch to Provoice with no Enc we won't be completely out of luck. At least some of us won't.
How long before Waterloo Region goes Encrypted?
- Thread starter motomeso
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He pops in from time to time and makes random posts like these but has never added any proof when asked to.
If they switch to Provoice with no Enc we won't be completely out of luck. At least some of us won't.
jellotor
Member
I always maintain that encryption won't be a big secret in any municipality when it is implemented. The police want the public to know that their communications are secure, so they'll get the word out.
The bigger question is how many municipalities in 2010 are willing to spend $7-8 million on a new radio system at all?
scnnr
Member
I listen in occasionally to the Waterloo feed . It is a great feed very clear audio . Easy to follow. Great job.
Why would Waterloo care whether or not someone living a 1000 miles away in another city State or Prov is listening in to their system??
Really folks some of you are way to paranoid over this encryption stuff. Why you even put out the money for digital scanners with that fear hanging over your heads is a puzzle to me.
Why would Waterloo care whether or not someone living a 1000 miles away in another city State or Prov is listening in to their system??
Really folks some of you are way to paranoid over this encryption stuff. Why you even put out the money for digital scanners with that fear hanging over your heads is a puzzle to me.
largeinvest
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We already are encrypted
I have talked to several officers over the last few months as I see them almost every day. The first one I chatted to said we already are encrypted and then went on to tell me a story. He said they were secretly following a guy in an undercover police car and were chatting on the radio about how they were going to arrest him. Much to their surprise he walks out of his house with his hands up and surrenders in front of the undercover police car. They asked him how he knew about it and he said he was listening in on a police scanner. Needless to say the police were not impressed as their safety was at stake. So when they did the last radio upgrades a few years ago they encrypted all the undercover detective channels. Now all we hear is the dispatch operations. I asked him why we can still hear those. He said that WRPS is a very open police force and has nothing to hide from the public, and they welcome the public listening in so we can get an appreciation for all the hard work the police force does. This police officer happens to teach the course at Conestoga College.
Another officer told me that his son listens in on the online scanner to see what his Dad is up to.
The next officer I chatted to seemed to be more angry. I brought up the 925 alarm calls and what if the thief were listening in to see if he tripped an alarm. The officer basically shouted at me that the cops are too fast and they would get the bad guy regardless if they were listening in or not and they would be there in 2 minutes or less. He seemed to get suspicious at that point and I have never seen him again.
Then I chatted to an OPP officer. His only remark was "Oh thats cool" when I showed him the scanner. He didn't seem to care.
The next guy I chatted too was BC5. Otherwise known as Bylaw Cambridge unit 5. He said he listens in on the scanner all the time even when not working. He told me that only he has the number 5 and whenever I heard that over the air it would be him. I asked him what priority one means as I often hear the dispatchers say respond to a priority one 925. He said priority one is "Put your lights and sirens on life in danger and get their as fast as possible" As it relates to a priority one 925 that would be a holdup at a local business.
After these chit chats they seemed to have had their daily briefing at headquarters and the 925 are generally routed to the computer screen now and the dispatcher says "call to your screen" They won't mention its a 925 nor will they give the location over the air. Sometimes if the officer is too far away from the call or there is no one to attend they won't even mention it all over the air. You will simply hear when the officer has arrived at the scene and ask the dispatcher when an RP is coming.
If you guys have any more questions you want me to ask the officers when I see them again, respond to this forum and let me know.
I have talked to several officers over the last few months as I see them almost every day. The first one I chatted to said we already are encrypted and then went on to tell me a story. He said they were secretly following a guy in an undercover police car and were chatting on the radio about how they were going to arrest him. Much to their surprise he walks out of his house with his hands up and surrenders in front of the undercover police car. They asked him how he knew about it and he said he was listening in on a police scanner. Needless to say the police were not impressed as their safety was at stake. So when they did the last radio upgrades a few years ago they encrypted all the undercover detective channels. Now all we hear is the dispatch operations. I asked him why we can still hear those. He said that WRPS is a very open police force and has nothing to hide from the public, and they welcome the public listening in so we can get an appreciation for all the hard work the police force does. This police officer happens to teach the course at Conestoga College.
Another officer told me that his son listens in on the online scanner to see what his Dad is up to.
The next officer I chatted to seemed to be more angry. I brought up the 925 alarm calls and what if the thief were listening in to see if he tripped an alarm. The officer basically shouted at me that the cops are too fast and they would get the bad guy regardless if they were listening in or not and they would be there in 2 minutes or less. He seemed to get suspicious at that point and I have never seen him again.
Then I chatted to an OPP officer. His only remark was "Oh thats cool" when I showed him the scanner. He didn't seem to care.
The next guy I chatted too was BC5. Otherwise known as Bylaw Cambridge unit 5. He said he listens in on the scanner all the time even when not working. He told me that only he has the number 5 and whenever I heard that over the air it would be him. I asked him what priority one means as I often hear the dispatchers say respond to a priority one 925. He said priority one is "Put your lights and sirens on life in danger and get their as fast as possible" As it relates to a priority one 925 that would be a holdup at a local business.
After these chit chats they seemed to have had their daily briefing at headquarters and the 925 are generally routed to the computer screen now and the dispatcher says "call to your screen" They won't mention its a 925 nor will they give the location over the air. Sometimes if the officer is too far away from the call or there is no one to attend they won't even mention it all over the air. You will simply hear when the officer has arrived at the scene and ask the dispatcher when an RP is coming.
If you guys have any more questions you want me to ask the officers when I see them again, respond to this forum and let me know.
jellotor
Member
Well, that's nice that you got out and talked to a bunch of the guys/girls on the street...but what you're probably getting is a bunch of ill-informed opinions from people who see a radio system as tool.
Imagine, for a second, that you work in a large office with people all over the place and everyone needs to be in contact all the time. Your company has decided to switch from Outlook to some other platform for email and you come into work one Monday morning and Outlook is no more.
Then someone comes up to you on your break and asks you how you like the new email system. You ***** or shrug your shoulders or whatever.
But you likely don't have any idea why the decision to change was made or what kind of work went into it. And you probably don't know the features of the new system yet.
So it goes with cops, firefighters, paramedics, etc. Hey, it's nice to get out and talk to these people, they're all good folks...but relying on them to put you in the loop about encryption, for example, is naive.
And don't believe everything you see on TV, either.
Imagine, for a second, that you work in a large office with people all over the place and everyone needs to be in contact all the time. Your company has decided to switch from Outlook to some other platform for email and you come into work one Monday morning and Outlook is no more.
Then someone comes up to you on your break and asks you how you like the new email system. You ***** or shrug your shoulders or whatever.
But you likely don't have any idea why the decision to change was made or what kind of work went into it. And you probably don't know the features of the new system yet.
So it goes with cops, firefighters, paramedics, etc. Hey, it's nice to get out and talk to these people, they're all good folks...but relying on them to put you in the loop about encryption, for example, is naive.
And don't believe everything you see on TV, either.
Sometimes it makes you wonder , Big centers with lots going on stay in the clear , while little 1 sheriff towns go encrypted ,...Some agencies seem to want the public to hear routine calls while others dont ,..
Even our fire dept , has a channel they encrypt sometimes ,...something about they occasionally need to tell each other apartment door codes over the air? Lol whatever ,....
After our PD has been caught Soooooo many times with corruption cases they were rewarded with encryption ,...
& they are gearing up too,....I saw a pic of our Swat guys with G36C assault rifles ! & a SUV with side looking Infra red contraption on the roof !
what on earth do they need this for?
And now they encourage us not to call them to report crime ,...but to use their new website instead,....
& if the crime has already happened ,...again they would rather you not call & bother them ...with ,...you know,....crimes n stuff,.....just make a report on the website & print it out for your insurance ,....
So they are the only source or version of how events happen ,...& they would rather **not** be in contact with you ,....
& if they do need to be in contact with you,.... rest assured they will have equipment that can see into,... & annihilate ,your home ,....see the way this is going ?
& sometimes our chief has complained that they just dont feel as "close " to the community as they once did,..
yep , sometimes it make you wonder.....
Even our fire dept , has a channel they encrypt sometimes ,...something about they occasionally need to tell each other apartment door codes over the air? Lol whatever ,....
After our PD has been caught Soooooo many times with corruption cases they were rewarded with encryption ,...
& they are gearing up too,....I saw a pic of our Swat guys with G36C assault rifles ! & a SUV with side looking Infra red contraption on the roof !
what on earth do they need this for?
And now they encourage us not to call them to report crime ,...but to use their new website instead,....
& if the crime has already happened ,...again they would rather you not call & bother them ...with ,...you know,....crimes n stuff,.....just make a report on the website & print it out for your insurance ,....
So they are the only source or version of how events happen ,...& they would rather **not** be in contact with you ,....
& if they do need to be in contact with you,.... rest assured they will have equipment that can see into,... & annihilate ,your home ,....see the way this is going ?
& sometimes our chief has complained that they just dont feel as "close " to the community as they once did,..
yep , sometimes it make you wonder.....
I think one of the reasons the small towns are going encrypted is fairly simple.... Money. It all comes down to the mighty $$, and when an agency that needs 25 new radios is shopping around it's a lot easier for them to spend a little extra on bells and whistles compared to a city that needs hundreds and hundreds of radios. It's hard for a city the size of Toronto to implement (and pay for) a complete new radio system, whereas someone like Strathroy, Stratford... even Woodstock... it's not so tough. Not a huge labour intensive job to swap radios in a dozen cruisers and replace the portables and base station. And with encryption a simple mouse click away on some systems now, that part is a no-brainer unfortunately.
jellotor
Member
Geez, FoeHammer, you paranoid much?
heh , your not the first to say that ,....
Whatever our opinions are,.. its happening anyway ,
Sorry sometimes I let mine get out ,...
but I do try to find other areas to enjoy in the hobby ,....
Cmon G. Wouldnt you be paranoid if your roomate was as insane as Ernie?
What are do doing here posting with all the rank and file here? We never see you anymore ?
Dude. Where do you live? In Stalin's Russia ?
Darfur?
Iran?
I cannot believe that your PD would rather you email in reporting a crime.
As for pictures od cops showing off: Cmon dude, are you surprised? Boys like to play with toys. Cops are boys and they have some impresive toys.
I think you need to find a new roomate there Bert
frankh
Member
just a product of his environment
jellotor
Member
Windsor makes you paranoid?
frankh
Member
Seeing that you are from Hamilton you should understand
What largeinvest said is true. The CIB channels have switched to enc because of the issues of people listening in and for officer safety. Most alarm trips (break and enters at businesses) do go out via CAD now to advoid alerting the criminals in the act. In the waterloo region you can submit tips via web page at Waterloo Crimestoppers
As ve3nsv mentioned ages ago, they may be digital... but may not actually be encrypted. If they simply went AEGIS or ProVoice digital that right there would block all scanner listeners, but technically you could still listen in with DSD or a 'real' radio. I would assume that if they made the effort to go digital, then they likely are encrypted as well... but you never know. And if someone happens to know either way **please** don't post it on here. The last thing we need is someone advertising that they are in the clear.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9300; en) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.526 Mobile Safari/534.8+)
I have a suggestion for anyone that wants to get to the guts of the matter.
Anyone in Waterloo Region can email or call their city or regional councillors and ask them exactly what is going on?
From my experience: I am semi-active in municipal politics (I vote and I email my councillor from time to time). I asked my councillor that since he also sat on the regions council if he knew about a radio system upgrade in Halton.
He not only knew about it but he told me that he was going to ask the police about, my councillor sits on the police board.
Within a week, the deputy police commisioner emailed me and explained to me what, when and how they were going to upgrade.
He was open and happy to say that he was aware of people who listen but that police stuff was likely to be encrypted. Officer safety.
I encourage anyone in tjeir municipalities to get in touch with their councillors or mayors even. Perhaps endless threads of speculation and such like this will come to an end.
Eric
I have a suggestion for anyone that wants to get to the guts of the matter.
Anyone in Waterloo Region can email or call their city or regional councillors and ask them exactly what is going on?
From my experience: I am semi-active in municipal politics (I vote and I email my councillor from time to time). I asked my councillor that since he also sat on the regions council if he knew about a radio system upgrade in Halton.
He not only knew about it but he told me that he was going to ask the police about, my councillor sits on the police board.
Within a week, the deputy police commisioner emailed me and explained to me what, when and how they were going to upgrade.
He was open and happy to say that he was aware of people who listen but that police stuff was likely to be encrypted. Officer safety.
I encourage anyone in tjeir municipalities to get in touch with their councillors or mayors even. Perhaps endless threads of speculation and such like this will come to an end.
Eric
jellotor
Member
This thread is so old Bert was released on parole last week.
This thread is so old Terry moved from Kitchener and now lives in a colony on the moon.
This thread is so old FoeHammer is now on his third tinfoil hat.
This thread is so old...ah, never mind.
This thread is so old Terry moved from Kitchener and now lives in a colony on the moon.
This thread is so old FoeHammer is now on his third tinfoil hat.
This thread is so old...ah, never mind.
Third tinfoil hat.... aaaahahahahaha. That made me LOL right there.
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