Windsor Police resist open radio access
Heres an interesting article ,.....
seems windsor pd wish they could get more help from the media & public ,.....but since the encryption thier officers " speak more freely now" & they dont know how they could obtain the end goal of being more "open & Transparent "
Hey WPD let me give you hint .......Turn off encryption for routine comms,.....
Learn to use the radio , properly like people that have respect for the community they serv & you shouldnt have much to worry about,...
have a better hiring process ,....try & weed out ,....you know the ones that may smuggle alcohol ,...or tobacco across the border ,...the ones that steal things from peoples homes ,or that cause auto accidents,.... the ones that use thier radios phone patch to chat with women,....& so on ....
you know that sort of stuff ,.....Ya ,..I bet these types do speak more freely now under the cozy blanket of encryption,...
Just remember by everyone hearing events live it will go along way to have some oversight & help keep things legit
Oh & has anyone seen this ? ,..& No I had nothing to do with it,.....
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=171369825004&v=info
& now the article.....
Windsor Police resist open radio access
By Doug Schmidt, The Windsor StarDecember 10, 2009
Both Windsor's police chief and the head of the local police services board agree that media need to have greater access to police radio communications.
"Having that independent set of eyes there -- it helps us," said Mayor Eddie Francis, who chairs the police board.
The chief concurs and said he sent a letter Tuesday to Ontario's Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services seeking guidance on how to increase media access to police dispatch information. Smith said he had sought advice from the province's privacy commissioner but was told there were legal implications that had to be addressed elsewhere.
The Windsor Police Service switched to a digital encrypted communications system earlier this year that effectively blocks media from monitoring police dispatches as was past practice. The department established a web portal for media outlets, but Smith concedes the updates are not always timely, particularly when the officers responsible for updates are busily engaged in the actual occurrences that may be of interest to news media.
While in favour of giving greater access to reporters, Smith said he didn't "hold out a lot of hope" that media outlets will eventually be given radios to again listen in freely to police communications.
"With encrypted radios, my officers are talking a lot more freely," he said. Having reporters listening in again "would be a step backward," he added.
Smith said some Canadian police departments with encrypted radio communications, like Calgary and Regina, have given direct access to reporters, subject to signed contracts in which media outlets pledge not to divulge protected information.
Smith said it's "always been a benefit" to have maximized media access to police activities. He said crime fighting is helped when the media and the public are given full participation.
"The end goal is to be more open and transparent," he said.
© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star
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