McLennan County Fire

[JTexas539]

Oops apparently my reply did not come through correctly.

I am from the central Texas area but prefer to remain undetailed in that reguard.

I apologize for the somewhat unclear statements I made. What I meant about encryption is that many agencies actually have encryption on a number of talk groups but do not actively or very rarely use it. I find it humorous the discussions and people freaking out that everything is going encrypted when one of these agencies chooses to use "the dreaded E" for a brief period in time. Basically don't be surprised because they have it for a reason and use it when they deem it necessary.

As far as "three letter agencies" go I am referencing federal and state partners, which have access to the system on various levels, with minimal use of their own talk groups.


Again I apologize for the vague remarks. I do not wish to get into the politics of encryption. I understand it is an uncomfortable and annoying reality for some. For now listeners in the Waco/Mclennan area can remain relieved that their local departments remain fairly open and 98% unencrypted.

 

[Ensnared]

Oops apparently my reply did not come through correctly.

I am from the central Texas area but prefer to remain undetailed in that reguard.

I apologize for the somewhat unclear statements I made. What I meant about encryption is that many agencies actually have encryption on a number of talk groups but do not actively or very rarely use it. I find it humorous the discussions and people freaking out that everything is going encrypted when one of these agencies chooses to use "the dreaded E" for a brief period in time. Basically don't be surprised because they have it for a reason and use it when they deem it necessary.

As far as "three letter agencies" go I am referencing federal and state partners, which have access to the system on various levels, with minimal use of their own talk groups.


Again I apologize for the vague remarks. I do not wish to get into the politics of encryption. I understand it is an uncomfortable and annoying reality for some. For now listeners in the Waco/Mclennan area can remain relieved that their local departments remain fairly open and 98% unencrypted.

Thanks for your reply. I was teasing with the remarks.

Initially, someone put an "E" beside some of the talk groups on HOTRRS some time back. I submitted a correction since they were "e."

In the fairly remote past, Waco was using MOT. However, at the same time, there was a TxWarn site near Waco. TxWarn was using Phase I talk groups with the same frequencies on MOT.

Many of the more sensitive talk groups were on this system. In fact, one night I heard federal agents discussing how to access an "encrypted repeater."

Eventually, TxWarn removed this site.

I became aware of HOTRRS P25 in the news. Afterward, I talked about my concerns about encryption on Facebook.

The Waco PD PIO quickly responded to my comments. He told me not to put the cart before the horse. In fact, he invited me to contact his office for a form letter to obtain the fleet maps. I filled it out and some of the talk group numbers were taken from this.

He stated that he wanted those monitoring to be aware of the dangerous, funny, and strange things they encounter. The PIO officer indicated there would obviously be encrypted talk groups such as narcotics. I certainly agree that investigations need the element of surprise.

One of the funniest things I heard was one night when the officers were watching a house. In a rather mocking tone, I heard them say, "I wonder if he is listening to us with his police scanner."

So, I count my blessings.

Thanks for your response.