Monterey County law enforcement to encrypt radio channels

A change is coming to the way Monterey County law enforcement agencies communicate.

A new shift to digital radios will eventually keep their radio communications private.

It’s a move police say will help keep criminals from using police scanners to their advantage.

Currently Monterey County police communicate through analog radio. Thursday they’ll start a process that will switch it to digital.

The first phase is just to test the system’s reliability but police hope in a few weeks it will encrypt their communications.

“It assists us in thwarting the criminal element from being able to monitor what we’re doing,” said Monterey Police Department Chief Dave Hober. “Thereby giving us more of an opportunity to perhaps catch violent criminals that might otherwise be able to get away.”

Chief Dave Hober says criminals using scanners to their advantage is an issue law enforcement has faced for decades.

“My experience [in] thirty years doing this job, I know that there have been the criminal element that absolutely have scanners that can do things like calling the police to one area so that they can be committing a crime in another and then listening to the officers when they are responding to that so they can either leave or perhaps even set up situations that put those officers in danger,” Chief Hober said.

Encryption isn’t the only goal of the new technology.

Chief Hober says the new system will eliminate problems police have with the current analog radios.

“Some of the biggest issues that we face is with our radio communication,” Hober said. “It offers us to better serve the community as well as ensure the officers are safe.”

But residents have some concerns.

“It could go for or against the public” said Monterey resident Carolyn Foord.

“Secrecy’s just not good, that’s the way Hitler started was with secrecy,” said Whalen Rawlinson.

Even with the encryption, Chief Hober says transparency is still a priority for Monterey County law enforcement.

“This in no way is meant to try to stop that transparency, it is all so we can better protect the communities that we serve.”

Chief Hober says the department will continue to release information through its website.

Most Monterey County law channels are expected to be encrypted by mid-June however fire channels will remain open.

Technology issues are keeping the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office radios from being encrypted.