Henrico Police to encrypt radio frequencies

If you enjoy listening to the police scanner to keep tabs on what's happening locally, better get your listening in soon.

In a joint letter to media today, the chiefs of police in Henrico, Chesterfield and Richmond announced that they will encrypt their agencies' radio frequencies beginning July 2. The change means that only authorized public safety officials will be able to listen to police communications in the three localities.

The change is designed to protect law enforcement officials and members of the community and to ensure that "sensitive personal information" that sometimes is communicated across the frequencies "does not violate legal rights or reasonable expectations of privacy," wrote the chiefs (Henrico's Humberto Cardounel, Jr., Chesterfield's Jeffrey Katz and Richmond's Alfred Durham).

Media members routinely listen to police and fire scanners in order to report on daily events. They'll now be unable to do so, though the chiefs wrote that their departments individually are exploring ways to keep the media informed of "active, real-time information."

Encrypting radio frequencies has become a growing trend among police departments throughout the nation, especially larger ones. Virginia Beach officials plan to encrypt their system as part of an upgrade recently approved in the budget.

Though journalists and interested members of the public may have become accustomed to having access to such communications, such access is not necessarily their right, Virginia Coalition for Open Government Executive Director Megan Rhyne told the Virginian-Pilot last month. But, she told the Pilot, that access is a step toward police accountability.

Critics of the open frequencies have argued that they allow criminals or would-be criminals to stay a step ahead of police, thereby endangering officers or citizens whose information may be broadcast.