[Scan-DC] Is FCPD unencrypted?

[Cathy Drzyzgula]

You can hear quite a bit.  MCPD does use MDTs, and sometimes all the  
dispatch info will be sent that way, but the MDTs also hang up a lot, then  
verbal confirmation is required, and calls for back up and so forth are  
usually in the clear so all units can hear.  Some of the radios have  
encryption capability, but not all of them.  It is not unusual on stake  
outs or drug operations to hear one side of the conversation, while the  
other is encrypted.  How much of that one can understand depends on the  
relative skills of the unencrypted party and the listener.  Montgomery  
county has for the most part ceased using 10-codes in the interest of  
interoperability, so you don't have to learn a new set of codes if you  
aren't already familiar with the MC version.

Cathy

On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:07:46 -0500, Thomas P. Clouse <tom at clouse.com>  
wrote:

> Does anyone know if Montgomery County PD relies heavily on their MDTs
> for dispatch?  I am in the same situation as Bob, and am interested in
> hearing Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Montgomery County PDs, but don't
> want to invest the money in an APCO25 scanner if I won't hear much.
> -Tom



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