Slowly, government agencies all over the USA are switching to digital and often encrypted radio transmissions. The use of encryption and non-monitorable radio systems by government agencies must end.
In many communities, police, fire and other emergency radio signals have been monitored by reporters, private citizens and other government employees since they started to be used. Now there are several radio systems in use by public agencies that "can not" be monitored (typically they are proprietary and techical information is not available) or they have switched to digitally encrypted signals. Federal law prohibits monitoring encrypted signals.
To make this situation even worse; billions of taxpayer money is being used (even during this poor economy) to purchase and install these overly complex radio systems.
Why Is This Idea Important?
Here in Calfornia, we often have dozens of law enforcement and fire agencies working adjacent to each other. Police, firefighters, etc often use 'scanners' to monitor what is going on around them. As agencies encrypt or become unmonitorable, people do not know 'immediately' when something bad is happening around them. Encryption will cost the lives of police and firefighters. Digital radios are another problem and are often not the best soultion.
Additionally, reporters from the media and other interested citizens monitor "what is going on". Encryption provides a means that law enforcement/etc can 'hide' from the public's eyes & ears.
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