4/19/2023 0 Comments Honolulu police scannerThe news agencies are concerned about maintaining access to timely information that allows them to keep the public informed about emergencies and police and firefighting activities in their area. In March, Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters introduced a resolution urging the city administration to restore public access to police, fire and emergency services radio traffic. And so 21st century policing is using new technology, " he said, adding that the rules and regulations that police now have to follow make encryption mandatory, essentially.īoth the Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now are advocating for a restoration of the limited access to first responder radio traffic that existed prior to the conversion. maybe up to five years ago, that is old technology now. "The whole concept of what we used to do. Logan said he learned at the Major Cities Chiefs Association 2022 annual meeting in Dallas that most large cities do not share encrypted radio access with news media and public. Logan said encryption serves officer safety in that if the public cannot listen to dispatches, the potential for bad actors to set up an ambush or evade officers can be diminished.Īdditionally, Logan said a federal requirement to protect personal information, like dates of birth, names, addresses and Social Security numbers, factored into the decision to encrypt. On Wednesday, Blangiardi asked Logan to further investigate the P25 radio encryption and to make the call on whether to restore access to media before the mayor revisits the topic with the news organizations in the new year. City officials have not disclosed what, if any, legal advice they received from their attorneys. Blangiardi asked the city's corporation counsel to review the agreement. In March, Blangiardi expressed interest in the 2018 agreement between the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and media outlets addressing the parameters for restoring access to encrypted radio traffic. Police there maintain the right to randomly inspect the radios for unapproved adjustments and to confiscate them and block access if the agreement was violated. Media organizations agreed not to alter the equipment or use them in any way other than to monitor the channels approved and programmed by police. In 2018, Las Vegas news agencies agreed to pay for their own Moto rola P25 radios, which cost as much as $10, 000 each. News organizations have never had access to radio channels used by first responders managing emergencies, live events or critical incidents.Īfter Honolulu cut public access to the scanners, the Star-Advertiser asked the city to consider an agreement similar to one made in Las Vegas. 11 attacks, law enforcement agencies and first responders began to slowly move toward military standards for encryption and interoperability between, county, state and federal entities. Prior to unilateral actions by government agencies to encrypt the radio communications of first-responders, news organizations and the public had access to police, fire and ambulance dispatch calls through available commercial technology starting in the 1920s. We will continue to advocate for a return to the media's limited access to basic emergency dispatch communication so that we can keep the public properly informed." However we feel strongly that when media access to police scanner communication was cut off earlier this year, Oahu residents were also cut off from important real-time information about crime, fires and other emergencies in their neighborhoods. "We appreciate the effort to listen to our concerns. "HPD's new system is certainly an improvement to the current media notification emails and we are willing to test it out over the next three months, " Star-Advertiser President and Publisher Dennis Francis said. Logan said members of the media and public can go to HPD's website,, click on the info and resources tab and scroll to the bottom to a Listing of Active Police Dispatch Calls link to the new webpage that automatically updates nearly every active police incident every 15 to 26 minutes.īlangiardi asked the media to give the new system a chance, and said he would revisit the topic after three months. Jim Ireland and Logan, who announced the new website. Hao, Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Dr. "I understand our responsibility to the media, to the public, but at the same time what's held first and foremost is our ability to do the best job we can, all the while protecting the men and women who protect us."Īlso participating in the meeting were Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon K. I support it more than 100 percent, " said Blangiardi.
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