New Orleans, La - Radio communication of first responders will fly under the radar in 2013. A four-parish area is encrypting emergency radios. That means the public, and possibly the media, won't have be able to hear them on police scanners.
News rooms across the country monitor police scanners. Neighborhood patrols and community watch programs use them too.
"We're letting everybody know at a moment's notice, what's going on," said Bryan Lagarde referring to the work of Project Nola. He is the founder of the non-profit.
"For the past three years, our volunteers have been monitoring the police scanners," said Lagarde. "We have over 100 thousand subscribers."
Subscribers get crime alerts via email, Twitter or Facebook. Those alerts will be harder to come by when the radios of the first responders in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes are encrypted and undetected by scanners.
"Our main concern is for mainstream media," said Lagarde. "It's very important that they be able to continue monitoring to be able to tell people what's happening in real time and that of course includes Project Nola."
In an emailed statement, Kenneth Hughes, New Orleans Regional Communications Coordinator for the Department of Homeland Security, had this to say about the encryption plans:
"In today's technologically advanced world you now have free app's which allow anyone to hear the police call being dispatched, even the bad guys, which I am sure you agree is a safety issue for the officers."
"This is a balancing test," said Raymond Burkart, spokesperson for the Fraternal Order of Police. "What's it's really about is finding the right mix so that the citizens get the information they need in a very timely manner as well as protecting our police officers and operations that are out there trying to catch really dangerous people."
"Can criminals currently monitor the police scanners? Very easily," said Lagarde. "The question is, what out weighs the other? Realistically it's unlikely that criminals are going to get much from listening to the scanners."
Kenneth Hughes with the Department of Homeland Security says if is a decision is made to allow the media to monitor emergency communications, the radios can be reprogrammed to provide that access.
»
www.fox8live.com/story/2 ··· -in-2013