| Police radio communication will fly under the radar in 2013 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/20355194/···-in-2013 |
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 HankSearching for a new FrontierPremium
join:2002-05-21
Burlington, WV
kudos:1 | Encryption is a good thing. Remember if you can listen to it so can the bad guys. Does it make any difference if the alerts come from the volunteers or from the local authorities? The news media is another story that I do not want to get into. |
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| reply to The Snowman
This is a good thing.
It has already been mainstream here for yeaaaars.
Keeps pesky media vultures away (Do you want a camera in your face, or your child's face, if you happen to get into a car accident?) and keeps bad guys from knowing what's going on.
If there are people/volunteers who need to know info, they get a radio or a feed somehow. So the mass broadcast media is kept in the loop for what they need to know, but the rest is kept quiet.
This used to be a massive problem here because everyone and their grandmother would show up for the smallest incident (Small community) or it would become the talk of the town when a drunken brawl would break out.
I used to love listening to scanners, and in all honesty I now work for a communications company that has a division dedicated to 2 way radio and repeater sites across the province. Now it's kinda boring lol. |
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| reply to The Snowman
The secondary alert network (twitter/mobile FB) will do just fine in alerting the media/public to what's going on... |
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 John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to The Snowman
What...they don't use MDTs for sensitive information? |
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 mattmagPremium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois
kudos:3 | said by John Galt:What...they don't use MDTs for sensitive information?
MDT's (MDC's) are great for transmitting "sensitive" information, but they are much slower for dispatching purposes, and don't work well at all for "hot" calls where a crime is in progress and information needs to be exchanged very quickly, such as "gunman coming toward the front" and subsequent responses from squads enroute.
The crap about the Media "wanting to warn the people" is just that---crap. They want to find sensational stories and be the first on scene to get in the way broadcast it all to the world for ratings.
If the public needs to be warned, the police/fire/EMS folks will get the word out. |
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 BloggerJedi PosterPremium
join:2012-10-18
 ·Champion Broadba..
| reply to voxframe
I agree wholeheartedly. It will assist the police to become more efficient in accomplishing their jobs. I have no doubt they will be successful.
However, get ready for the some recording of some police transmissions during an inflammatory media case will produce an example of "loose lips" putting a new perspective on the case. |
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 whizkid3Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY
kudos:9 | reply to The Snowman
I have trouble characterizing the New Orleans police department as 'the good guys'. Secrecy and government don't mix - not on any level. |
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HankSearching for a new FrontierPremium
join:2002-05-21
Burlington, WV
kudos:1 | said by whizkid3:I have trouble characterizing the New Orleans police department as 'the good guys'. Secrecy and government don't mix - not on any level.
I notice you live in Queens, NY would you say the same thing about NYPD?  |
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 BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:3
 ·Frontier Communi..
| reply to whizkid3
said by whizkid3:... Secrecy and government don't mix - not on any level.
On any level? Are you perhaps over-generalizing or under-explaining? Otherwise, there are a lot of military, intel, and diplomatic communications that are going to suddenly have to appear "in the clear". Of course, some of our adversaries may consider that a good thing...
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“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” A. de Tocqueville |
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 StuartMWWho Is John Galt?Premium
join:2000-08-06
Galt's Gulch
kudos:2
·CenturyLink
| said by Blackbird:Of course, some of our adversaries may consider that a good thing... As would Bob. Bob "likes to listen".
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Don't feed trolls--it only makes them grow! |
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BlackbirdBuilt for SpeedPremium
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:3 Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| said by StuartMW:said by Blackbird:Of course, some of our adversaries may consider that a good thing... As would Bob. Bob "likes to listen". Sometimes Bob is our adversary... 
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“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” A. de Tocqueville |
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 tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI | reply to Hank
said by Hank:Encryption is a good thing. Remember if you can listen to it so can the bad guys. Which means bad guys will own decription eqp. But not the typical low life crack head. |
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