Someone asked me the following question that I couldn't answer. If it is the Chief of a Police Department that decides if he/she wants their comms encrypted, decides yes, then wants to provide a feed of the encrypted comms, is it legal because he is the decision maker in the first place. Of course I know that a Police Chief would not decide to encrypt and then live stream the comms, but to me it is a very interesting hypothetical question.
I didn't know the answer - Encryption
- Thread starter PDMR25
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Sure, any agency can make the official decision to stream their secure comms, as long as the decision is approved by whatever powers-that-be govern the agency. A police chief likely wouldn't have unilateral authority to make that decision, it would almost certainly have to be approved by a city/town council or whatever governing body is in charge of the dept. Even if it were to happen, the streams would probably be on a significant delay, because streaming in real time would obviously be completely counter to the point of securing the comms in the first place.
That's what I thought, but I didn't really know. Thank you for the VERY FAST reply!
Several years ago, the police chiefs of all law enforcement agencies dispatched by DuPage County Public Safety Communications (DU-COMM Central Dispatch) were polled if they wanted their future comms in the new radio system encrypted. The information I received was 99% of the police chiefs wanted encryption. Hence, arrangements were in the making to have their new Starcom21 statewide digital P25 system talk groups for the DU-COMM agencies encrypted. As of this date, March 10, 2026, they have not yet activated encryption except for a few talk groups for individual agencies for their drug enforcement, tactical, gang, and surveillance units. The encryption could be activated at any date in the (near) future, however, they are currently in the clear.
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