[Scan-DC] Rally to protest police radio encryption

[Alan Henney]

New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester)

LOCAL; Pg. 8

Rally to protest police radio encryption

MARK HAYWARD New Hampshire Union Leader
3 October 2016

Right to know: The protest is being organized by Free State Project leader and state Senate candidate Carla Gericke.

MANCHESTER -- The decision earlier this summer to encrypt all Manchester police radio transmissions is the subject of a rally planned for Tuesday in downtown Manchester.

The rally is organized by Carla Gericke, a Free State Project leader and state Senate candidate. Gericke was behind a June rally that protested the lockdown of the West Side this spring when two police officers were shot and wounded.This week's rally is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.In a statement, Gericke noted that city officials have equated the Manchester police encryption to that used by the military and the FBI."Our local police are not supposed to be the military or agents of the federal government," said Gericke, who is running as a Republican for the state Senate seat that represents four Manchester wards and Goffstown."Hiding behind encryption while increasing the use of military tactics is dangerous to a free and open society. We have a right to know what our police department is up to," she said.Manchester police started encrypting all of its police radio broadcasts on Sept. 9, a move they said was possible because of a new $5.8 million radio system, according to previous articles in the New Hampshire Union Leader.It appears to be the first police department in the state to do so.At the time, police said encryption improved officer safety, protected the privacy of victims and discouraged monitoring of calls by people who then showed up at crime scenes.The move generated criticism from the media and scanner listeners, but Manchester aldermen voted 13-1 to continue the encryption after it started.In a recent Tweet, Police Chief Nick Willard said that seven of the 16 departments that he met at a recent FBI Academy training session encrypt all their radio transmissions.Willard also instructed his department to start posting the previous day's log of police calls online.The log gives the time of a call, the location, and a brief explanation such as "stabbing" or "hot spot patrol."Gericke's earlier rally drew nearly 60 people. A subsequent rally in support of police drew a lot fewer participants.

<i>mhayward at unionleader.com </i>