Archived version

Encrypting police radio transmissions has become increasingly common nationwide. In fact, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the largest professional organization dedicated solely to broadcast and digital journalism, has said that radio encryption is the foremost concern among its members. “[T]he consequences of encryption prevent the public from accessing information about the activities of police in real-time. These communications provide individuals and newsrooms with essential updates on issues happening in their communities such as violent crime, hazardous conditions or officer-involved shootings,” Dan Shelley, the president and CEO of RTDNA, wrote in January 2023. “The move to encrypt police scanner communications puts the public — and the newsrooms that serve them by seeking and reporting the truth — at risk.”

Press freedom advocates say that this surge in encryption can be traced back to the heightened scrutiny and demand for police accountability spurred by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2020. Following the BLM protests in 2020, during which citizens monitored police scanners and documented racist remarks made by law enforcement over radio frequencies, police departments nationwide introduced encryption protocols for routine police communications.