Multiple inside sources have reported that some police chiefs in the Northwest Central Dispatch System 9-1-1 service that covers the northwest suburbs of Chicago want to encrypt fire-rescue-EMS radio communications. Allowing this cut in government transparency would seriously obstruct important public safety information and prevent information from being released properly in a timely manner. Police radio channels were already encrypted in June 2013. This means that information about all police incidents that occur in your community depend on the release by your local government. Much information is never released, and much information that is released is often sterilized or redacted to a point that reduces effectiveness of the information. Now, apparently, some police chiefs want to encrypt fire radios, too. This means delayed information about serious traffic crashes that congest roadways; delayed information about fires and hazardous smoke; delayed information about hazardous materials incidents that might require evacuation or shelter in place orders; delayed information about violent crimes involving death or serious injury that might require shelter in place orders or other alerts; delayed information about disasters and other serious incidents that could prolong suffering, and delay organization of resources in an overwhelmed system. Perhaps worst of all for many people that don't understand public safety emergencies: Those individuals will live in greater fear (fear of the unknown, fear for their family, fear for their friends, fear for their co-workers) when emergency incidents occur nearby and there are no official messages or when the official messages are excessively redacted, censored or obscured. Supporters of fire radio encryption will tell the public that they have alternative methods to reach the public. Don't believe it. Whatever they tell you, it will never be as reliable or as timely and effective as open Fire-Rescue-EMS radio communications. Supporters of the fire radio encryption will also tell the public that they need encryption for security. Don't believe it. Whatever information requires such a high level of security should not be broadcast on a one-to-many (hundreds of radios over multiple communities) radio system anyway -- even if it IS encrypted.