[Scan-DC] Fw: U.S. Capitol Police Department's radio system

Thu Apr 23 10:35:57 EDT 2009

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Lee Williams" <leonzo at hotmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:50 AM
To: "Gregory Menton" <gmentoni at yahoo.com>; "Scan-DC" 
<Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] U.S. Capitol Police Department's radio system

> I would like to comment on this thread. People who are complaining about 
> what they hear on scanners are starting to really bother me. I suppose 
> that since the "Police Call" books went away maybe a lot of readers on 
> Scan-DC aren't aware of a few things that used to be posted in front of 
> the Police Calls. To paraphrase: The Communications Act of 1934 and the 
> Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 govern a listeners 
> responsibilities. It is currently against Federal Law to:
> - reveal to any person not a party to a radio transmission the contents of 
> a radio transmission
> - use any information heard to commit a crime
> - use information for personal gain
>
> Additionally most states have laws prohibiting the use of scanners during 
> or to aid in commission of crimes. So when an agency broadcasts a name, 
> social security number, and date of birth on their radio system they are 
> doing their jobs. It is not a scanner listeners job to divulge or complain 
> about it. Just like there is currently a serious review about possible 
> "abuse of power and misinterpretation of laws that allowed torture to 
> occur" there is a lot of misinterpretation and a real push from radio 
> companies, citizens and others to encrypt 100 percent of all public safety 
> or at least law enforcement radio traffic within the U.S.
>
> If all law enforcement traffic was encrypted who gains? Without any 
> oversight or ability to listen to what our tax dollars are paying for who 
> wins in that scenario? There is a time and place for encryption. I have no 
> problem with the Secret Service having encrypted radios 100% of the time 
> while guarding the President and his family. I do have a problem with my 
> local law enforcement agency encrypting 100 percent of all of their 
> traffic. Also 99.9% of law enforcement personnel have cellphones and the 
> majority of cell traffic is digitally encrypted so users feel somewhat 
> free to discuss sensitive information on them. The FBI with all of their 
> radio gear and encryption use Nextel direct connect cells for the vast 
> majority of their radio traffic. Again it is already digitally encrypted 
> so no one is hearing them. I point this out not as a complaint but as an 
> example that there are work arounds in place and being used daily to add a 
> layer of privacy to things discussed previously on an unencrypted radio 
> system. Things in place that do not require 100% encryption on two way 
> radios 100% of the time.
>
> Does local law enforcement need to encrypt that they are looking for a 
> lost child that I may see? Do they need to encrypt that they are running 
> the name of a guy over the air that as an off duty officer/dispatcher I 
> may recognize and have some info that could help out in a case? Do they 
> need to encrypt their traffic stops so that as a neighboring jurisdiction 
> I can start that way and be just that much closer if the original officer 
> now requests a back up? Do they need to encrypt the call about juveniles 
> hanging out or a suspicious person call and the local neighborhood watch 
> hearing the call can look over that way and gather additional information 
> that may aid law enforcement?
>
> You see what is being lost in this rush to encrypt all law enforcement in 
> this country is all of the positive outcomes that aren't always 
> quantifiable with regard to radio monitoring. Not to mention that having 
> ears on an agency makes citizens and the media keep agencies honest, above 
> board and reinforces the principle that we are a nation of laws and not 
> people kingdoms! I am no bleeding heart liberal and I have been listening 
> to public safety on radios since 1970. I am becoming alarmed at the amount 
> of public safety agencies going to full time encryption in this country. 
> Florida is the first state to have a full time statewide public safety 
> encrypted system and I suspect other states will soon follow. So what 
> happens when only the police can listen to the police? Hopefully I will 
> have passed away by then but personally I don't think that its a goal 
> worth obtaining!!
>
> -from a retired and now on a second go around law enforcement officer 33 
> years and still pushing a cruiser!
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Gregory Menton" <gmentoni at yahoo.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 1:03 AM
> To: <johnantonelli at verizon.net>; <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] U.S. Capitol Police Department's radio system
>
>> Paisan,
>> Remember, they're not officially skells until they have been certified as 
>> skells by a court of law...(not that Metro Transit PD is in the habit of 
>> routinely stopping people who are going about their normal business). 
>> Metro Transit PD is the only agency that I've heard broadcasting SSNs 
>> over the air in eons.
>> Tango,
>> Mentoni
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: JOHN ANTONELLI <johnantonelli at verizon.net>
>> To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net; Gregory Menton <gmentoni at yahoo.com>
>> Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 7:49:15 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] U.S. Capitol Police Department's radio system
>>
>>
>> But he would only be using the infor of other skells.....
>>
>> --- On Fri, 4/17/09, Gregory Menton <gmentoni at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> From: Gregory Menton <gmentoni at yahoo.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] U.S. Capitol Police Department's radio system
>> To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
>> Date: Friday, April 17, 2009, 2:59 AM
>>
>>
>> It amazes me, also, that they are still on an analog system. For several 
>> years,
>> I worked in the SOC for an IC agency that had a relatively much lower 
>> profile
>> (as far as the general public knows) than the US Capitol, and we went
>> digital/encrypted years ago.
>> Then again, Metro Transit PD (analog) still broadcasts the names, 
>> addresses
>> & SSNs of subjects being stopped.
>> (I hope that everyone in
>> our email group is on the level, otherwise I've
>> just "enabled" some skell in the pursuance of his/her career
>> choice :).
>> Tango,
>> GM
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Alan Henney <alan at henney.com>
>> To: Scan DC <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
>> Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 12:56:30 AM
>> Subject: [Scan-DC] U.S. Capitol Police Department's radio system
>>
>>
>> The Frontrunner
>>
>> April 15, 2009 Wednesday
>>
>> $71
>>
>> SECTION: WASHINGTON NEWS
>>
>> LENGTH: 76 words
>>
>> According to The Hill (4/15, Yager), "Tucked inside President Obama's
>> Most Recent 60 Days's 2009 war-spending measure for Iraq and
>> Afghanistan is a $71.6 million request to overhaul the U.S. Capitol
>> Police Department's radio system. Capitol Police and area law
>> enforcement officials have complained for years of having an
>> inefficient system that crashes periodically, loses its signal in
>> various parts of the
>> Capitol complex and can be overheard with
>> store-bought radio scanners."
>>
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