Posted on 07/06/23
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - July 6, 2023 - The Baltimore Police Department is now encrypting and delaying public access to its radio transmissions.
After years of talks, the Department officially switched to encrypted radio systems and devices on July 6, 2023.
Instead of listening to live communication between dispatch and officers, the public will only be able to access these audio streams on a 15-minute delay and through the online platform Broadcastify.
“Broadcastify presents us with the opportunity to focus on officer safety. It also assists with interagency operability since many neighboring agencies are already under encryption," wrote BPD, in an online news release.
Radio transmission encryption has become an option law enforcement and emergency service providers nationwide have implemented, with many citing increased safety for personnel and bringing agencies up to recommendations from the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC).
Concerns on the change center around transparency, and the right to real-time access not only by the press but the general public as well. Specifically, the right to information when there's a threat to a community.
Just days ago, gunfire erupted within a crowd of hundreds of people, sending them running for their lives during the 'Brooklyn Day' festival in south Baltimore. thirty people were shot, and two of those victims fatally.
'The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press' discussed the topic writing in part,
"The debate over police radio encryption shows how technology is relevant to First Amendment questions..."
Former BPD Deputy Commissioner Jason Johnson weighed in.
"I do think this policy balances the need for openness and transparency with the need to protect victims, witnesses, police officers and others that would be potentially harmed and are harmed by the real time nature of police communications," said Johnson.