Hello, I bring forth a matter that affects community safety and awareness. A short background about me, many years ago I volunteered with a police agency and later on I began my first job with the State of Maryland in public service, then years later made the transition to protection service, and later as I became older I started my own business and to this day I volunteer during storm emergencies etc. A very important observation I learned from all my experiences is that those in public service should always have and maintain a paramount partnership and transparency with the public.

In my pursuit of happiness and desire to help others in my community, I 100% rely on public service radio dispatch communications both police and fire for critical situational awareness to perform my task and for my safety and especially the safety of others when operating storm disaster services. I also help operate Southern Anne Arundel News https://www.facebook.com/SoAANews and aid the community of related events in the area. (Prior to 2024) Today as I write to you, a short while ago I was performing my routine communications updates and came across something very alarming and simultaneously upsetting and very depressing. It is apparent that the Anne Arundel County Police dispatch channels Northern, Eastern, Western, Southern, and CountyWide Dispatch aka Channel 5 that are being implemented to the new P25 radio system are encrypted channels (This system (before October 2024) is not in use as of yet, but is patched). I programmed my monitors and verified in fact I receive no audio of any kind, just brief distorted digital garble. There is P25 modulations and there is encryption, not one in the same.

A public service agency that encrypts its dispatch channels not only undermines the foundation of public safety, it deprives the community from its timely critical safety information, creating an unnecessary potential endangerment. Public service is a public trust, requiring those in public office, positions, and employment to place loyalty to the Constitution, and the Constituents. The act of blocking out the public from real time public service radio monitoring has violated that trust.  

As a volunteer ERT I maintain situational awareness at all times, every day. It is important to know in real time what roads are shut down from a crash, flood, etc. Power lines down etc. Any and all weather related emergencies and or disasters. All of these live communications are extremely critical for everyones safety, the community and public service members. I work to monitor and maintain emergency vehicle access in and out of community roads, especially in peninsula “one way in, one way out” areas. (Added info: The encryption since after Oct. 2024 has significantly limited and at most times caused such information to be significantly delayed, largely completely unknown)

There is a place for encrypted channels which are ok for small groups with short temporary operations such as running drivers license info, narcotics interventions, Swat teams etc. (Which the county already had set up that way, prior to Oct 2024) However encrypted channels are not safe for everyday wide area dispatch use, it is not safe for communities and the public. There exist no excuse or reason to close, block, or delay real time communications from the public. Everyday dispatch and events in a community are not matters of national security, they are matters of everyone’s safety and awareness. Most people in a community are decent people, and will help you out if you’re in trouble.

I have had the opportunity in life to be on both sides of that perspective. From working for the state, to protection service, to volunteer private sector. I would never work for a public service agency with an encrypted system putting me and most importantly the public in potential danger.

I sincerely hope that you play a role in helping to keep our communities, our county(s), and everyone safe as you too are a part of this community and continue to emphasize and maintain the transparency for everyone in regards to the public safety radio communications of this county and all across the nation. Public safety is supposed to be a partnership with the public. The county (Anne Arundel, prior to Oct 2024) currently meets the PII requirements for encryption in regards to private information with channel 6 aka Teletype were private information, driver’s license info, etc are not accessible, Additionally they have a talk around channel for each district that is encrypted, and a plethora of tactical and narcotics encrypted channels and the in car data terminals all for which the public has no access to and appropriate as those channels do not hinder the community's primary safety awareness. 

Public service radio dispatch both fire and police are in fact a communities safety radio, just as the National Weather Service radio is the publics early warning and awareness to severe and at times dangerous weather. Public service dispatch is essentially the same for everyday awareness and safety. Neighboring counties, Calvert, Prince Georges, Montgomery, Howard, Baltimore, and State police are all leading by example of community relation, safety, and transparency in respect to public safety radio dispatch. Don’t allow the community's safety radio to be blocked. Don’t put lives in danger with encrypted dispatch channels. (Updated, 08/01/25, Calvert has stated they are moving to separate from the community and sever transparency, and in July transparency has been lost in Montgomery County)

The citizens, the taxpayers of your respective city, county, and or state hereby compel the county executive’s office, commissioner, council and its members to keep and maintain an open, non- encrypted police and fire radio network. Encrypted pubic service radio violates the public trust. 

All citizens of this county and any traveler through this county and or state including to or from another state have the right to monitor public service radio to obtain real-time information dispatched by any public service agency to facilitate awareness of any incidents in any particular area of any community or region; to include any and all conditions of roadway, traffic hazards, storm related events, trees down blocking roadway, wires and or poles down. Vehicle crashes etc. anything effecting their travels. Any and all matters affecting the public’s safety i.e. report of a driver swerving into oncoming traffic, burglary and or robbery information. A police vehicle pursuit to be able to change direction of travel to avoid such oncoming hazards. This list is endless when it comes to the community’s right to safety to know immediately what is going on around them at any time without any delay.

Any public service that encrypts its radio traffic from the public facilitates the highest liability and legal ramifications. Anyone living in and or traveling through any region that prevents the individual to monitor for their situational awareness and safety is put in potential danger by that public service entity that deprived them of real time safety information. It is not within the authority or role of any public service agency to place the public in potential danger at any time nor for any reason or by any means by hindering real time monitoring of radio traffic. When it comes to protecting victim information and such, the police already have supplemental control over sensitive information via the use of Mobile Data Terminals (MDT -Computers) and the dispatch C.A.D notes are for and are used for that purpose. Encrypting public service radio violates the overall safety of the community and the public at large. 

Radio encryption not only harms the public’s safety. It further destroys operability and mutual aid assistance, including volunteers, and security / protective services who work among various counties within the state and from surrounding states and require real time radio monitoring of any and all areas for safety and aid to the people of the community and other agencies each and every day. Radio encryption does nothing more than sever community relations and transparency, A community (for which the police, fire, and EMS personnel are a part of) is to work together, to have and maintain an open and working cooperation. This open line of communication has been instrumental for maintaining situational awareness during severe weather events, natural disasters and critical incidents that move through jurisdictional boundaries.

In a community, whether it be a county, a town, a neighborhood, an entire state, the neighboring county or state. Everyone matters or nobody matters. When a public service agency encrypts their radio system it becomes “They matter, and the community doesn’t matter anymore” And that sets a very dangerous precedent. We also must not overlook that transparency in public service is essential for maintaining both public trust and accountability. According to a report by The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, "transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their government is doing."

The consequences of encrypted public service radio are far-reaching and impactful. By encrypting public service communications, the public, newsrooms, and communities are left in the dark, unable to access vital updates on incidents happening in their neighborhoods, whether it be violent crimes to hazardous conditions. The move to encrypt these critical channels poses a serious threat to both public awareness and the media’s ability to serve its crucial role in reporting the truth. Completely encrypting police communications does more harm than good. In an era when law enforcement is under more public scrutiny than ever before, the move to re-open police dispatch frequencies is the way to rebuild trust in police departments nationwide. Transparency is not an enemy of officer safety or privacy but a vital tool in fostering accountability, restoring public faith, and keeping communities informed about the activities of those who serve and protect them. Balancing transparency with security is essential, but sacrificing one for the other is not the answer. In the name of transparency, public safety, and responsible reporting, it is crucial that police departments correct their policies and find a middle ground that benefits all parties involved to maintain real time transparency. 

A situation where a death is caused by a state-created danger through a reckless or deliberately indifferent public-safety radio encryption policy. The act of removing public scanner access is an affirmative act that increases danger to the community and can violate the Due Process Clause when it leads to preventable deaths. Any policy or custom of blanket encryption on routine calls resulting in an injury or loss of life can be held directly liable (no qualified immunity).  It is not called an “unfortunate side effect” or “necessary for officer safety” in a courtroom when a loss of life occurs because of it. When anyone of the public relied on open channels and a public service agency encrypted them anyway, it is treated as reckless or deliberately indifferent government action that foreseeably caused a death.

We sincerely urge you not just as county constituents, also as concerned citizens who value transparency and community safety, to prevent the routine communications of the county, city, and or state from being encrypted.

Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving open communication with our public service agencies for the sake of public safety and transparency.