If you’ve noticed the silence on your police scanner lately, you’re not alone. Law enforcement radio traffic throughout Contra Costa County has gone dark as agencies complete the transition to fully encrypted radio systems. The change means that the public and media can no longer listen to live police, sheriff, or CHP dispatches online or via scanner apps. Officials say the move is meant to protect sensitive information, including names, addresses, and medical details transmitted over the air during emergencies. The transition follows statewide guidance from the California Department of Justice requiring agencies to safeguard personally identifiable information under new privacy standards. ConFire remains on the air, as the change only affected law enforcement agencies.
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I like as much notice as possible if there might be
an evacuation notice or warning.
I am not waiting for PD to come make an announcement.
Thank You Mayor and the Claycord community. If it wasn’t for you we could no longer find out in a timely manner any News in our local community. First, I would like to call out the Justice departments excuses for shutting down the ability to listen to Police radios as BS. You can get more personal information on somebody out of their mailbox then you could ever hear on a police scanner. And I have never heard any medical information transmitted over a Police scanner. The police have encrypted computers in their cars that they use to transmit personal information.
It’s been my experience that when there is an emergency there are a few people listening to the scanner and they pass that information on. In case of an emergency now, how would anybody or the media find out anything. What about our safety? What about our freedoms? To be free, we need some transparency. As I see it law enforcement agencies in the state have blocked the citizens from finding out any information about their community or police department in a timely manner. I don’t trust the government anymore!
Does this have anything to do with ICE? or the No Kings protest. I don’t agree with
keeping the public in the dark.
I used to listen to CPD on broadcastify until it became virtually silent.
At least when a copter flies over my neighborhood I can usually count on Claycord to provide some info.
May be time to get that HAM radio license.
Won’t help. Amateur Radio Operators can’t listen in to the encrypted transmissions either
Keep the people uninformed.
Keep the people silent.
Let them huddle in their homes like frightened rabbits.
Rule with an iron fist over the peaceful people.
Let the criminals roam free.
CA government, of, by, and for the government.
Saturday morning I’m still receiving all CHP areas in Ncal channels including CHP air. Listening to GG dispatch, car to car and air now in Rodeo activity.
This is on my Uniden SDS100. We all know CHP has outdated equipment so it’ll probably never go dark encrypted.
All other cities off but it won’t take long to get around it.
I’m not sure that the article is correct. Martinez PD went dark a few years ago but they were back again. The criminals who really fear that scanners will expose them are the ones that sit in government offices. I get more information off the PulsePoint app as to what is happening the commotion anyway.
And CCfire still on.
Oh no! How will I stay one step ahead of the pOlice now?
Some say this is all part of Trump’s plan in making him the complete dictator where he will stay until he passes it on to someone else. LOL
I doubt it. I think he’s bluffing a bit. Standard “Art of the Deal” strategy. Prior Presidents were afraid to step up and rattle things a bit. More than just conservatives knew that big business has been taken advantage of undocumented workers. The economy needs to be brought under control rather than the inflated mess we have now.
So Newsom is secretly in league with Trump?!? They sure hide their bromance well.
The California Department of Justice in the Information Bulletin #20-09-CJIS, released on October 12, 2020, mandates the use of encryption for radio transmission of Criminal Justice Information (CJI).
Criminal Justice Information (CJI) encompasses the comprehensive data collected and managed by law enforcement and civil agencies, including biometric data, identity and criminal histories, arrest and case records, court documents, and investigative reports etc etc.
One more thing done for our safety. We won’t be safe OR free by the time my kids are adults…
How does not being able to easedrop make you less safe or less free?
Law Enforcement in the bay area have been using MDS/MDT (Mobile Data Systems/Mobile Data Terminals) which, for all intents and purposes, are encrypted communications for over 30 years. The problem with them are they are slow to use and not portable (handheld) making their use for primary communication not practical or safe for the peace officer.
Encrypting all voice communications instead of just having a tactical channel encrypted is a logical progression of technology and it should have been implemented during the interoperability radio upgrades after 9/11.
Eavesdrop is an interesting phrase to use.
Why? do the police have something to hide? It looks like they did in Antioch, not too long ago. In my opinion, any police officer that does not want transparency should not be a police officer. If they’re not doing anything wrong, they should have nothing to hide. And please explain officer safety.
The police deal with people every single day. Some are criminals and some are victims.
Until they are arrested each have a degree of privacy do they not?
Broadcasting their relevant information (name, DOB, driver license etc) in the clear for anyone to hear AND use puts their privacy in danger and opens them up to identify theft does it not?
How about the privacy of the victim? The embarrassment of your neighbors, the scanner jockey, knowing exactly why the police were at your home? A barking dog call is no big deal but what about the embarrassment of DOMV or sexual assault or child molestation?
That, to my mind, is none of your neighbors damn business but YMMV.
Thank You CPT Obvious you proved my point. If my neighbor is beating their spouse, molesting children or sexually assaulting people it is my business. I need to protect the people in my household and possibly the victims of this person.
So screw the victims of the assaults? They have no right to privacy? They get to drive down their street and wonder which one of you fine upstanding citizens knows what happened to them? Embarrassment is just part and parcel of victimhood? Buck up sunshine?
Fortunately you do not get to decide and that is a very good thing.
I’m all for it. This also helps keep police officers safe…
This all comes from California DOJ Information Bulletin #20-09 CJIS, which was issued back in 2020.
It has nothing to do with the federal government or any other conspiracy.
Company I worked for upgraded two way radio systems twice, second
time incorporated repeaters to enable radio used in mechanical
basements 70 feet underground. Handhelds had something like
14 channels, each division had two channels assigned, but persons
that oversaw specs of system and vendor did not designate one
channel for emergencies. Using radios, my problem with system,
if one person was already on a channel all other users on that
channel were locked out, other annoying thing was inherent
delay in the system between pressing transmit key and system
allowing you ability to to begin talking.
.
For those who’d like to get into details Radio Reference is place to go.
East Bay Regional Communications System (EBRCS)
https://www.radioreference.com/db/site/13974
Have fun . . . . .
Another URL https://www.radioreference.com/db/sid/5317
As to decoding encryption, don’t think so, Oh well . . . . .
Big Brother can now watch you, but you are now unable to watch HIM!
Law enforcement work for us (The People) but now we pay there wages but have no transparency. How many of you own businesses? Do you have employees that you pay but don’t answer to you? Or at least keep you updated to what there doing? Not in my business. Not only that but it has caused a seriously dangerous situation in that we can not keep in real time what is dangerous in our neighbourhoods. If there is an armed criminal on the run in our neighbourhood and I can’t know about them it’s a good chance that criminal can hurt one of us or worse because if we new not only can we be aware to lock doors but also help by calling in the criminals locations if we see them. Lastly when seacrets are kept always leads to dishonesty and mistrustful public.
Gee Dr. Gee….
I think all the people in every neighbourhood I’ve ever lived in new better than to leave there doors unlocked… you should always keep your doors locked. It isn’t a seacret.
Just for fun, why don’t we write the next post in Pig Latin?