BALTIMORE _ As part of a planned upgrade of its radio systems, the Baltimore Police Department is switching to encrypted transmissions, eliminating the ability for most of the public to listen in.
The preparations were confirmed by City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer, head of the public safety committee. He said the upgrade has been planned since last year and has been delayed by COVID-19.
But officials have not publicly discussed that the new technology would feature encrypted communications.
Police referred questions to the mayor's office, which did not immediately respond to questions.
Baltimore would become the first police department in the state to encrypt their radio communications, according to a list compiled by RadioReference, a popular site that culls nationwide feeds.
Hundreds of agencies throughout the country have made the switch, however, including the Washington, D.C., police department, which began encrypting its communications in 2011. New Orleans, where Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison served as police chief until early 2019, encrypted its communications system last year.
Police radios have been public for decades, though in recent years technology has made the communications easier to access: There are free apps that stream police transmissions, while others use what they hear to populate Twitter accounts, like Scan the Police, and apps, like Citizen.
Those pushing to encrypt radio transmissions say it's necessary to prevent suspects from listening in on police movements, as well as to prevent the broadcasting of someone's personal information. Notably, police already have secure channels that they can switch to, and officers can often be heard coordinating to take conversations to their cell phones.
Schleifer said the city is planning to provide radios to the media, provided that they sign a "memorandum of understanding" that would put some limitations on what information can be shared. It was unclear whether other interested individuals or groups would be able to take part as well.
In Colorado, reporters can't monitor Denver police communications because the city insists on a purchasing agreement with two provisions deemed unacceptable by news organizations � one letting city officials examine newsroom records related to the scanner and another indemnifying the city if there is a lawsuit related to information from a police radio, according to the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.
