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The new radio system for Snohomish County police and emergency services was fully implemented on May 6, marking the end of the police scanner era.
Last week, police and emergency service scanners in Snohomish County were silenced as 5,000 military-grade Motorola digital radio systems were officially implemented, marking the deactivation of the 20-year-old analog legacy system.
The reason for the newfound quiet is a security feature of the new radios: digital encryption.
Emergency response radios operate on publicly accessible radio frequencies that are explicitly designated for use by police, firefighters and paramedics. A scanner, which is legal in Washington state, picks up these frequencies but does not transmit on them. Transmitting on those channels is illegal without authorization. However, even with one-way communication, issues still arise.
Sno911 Executive Director Kurt Mills said that one of the issues with an unencrypted radio system is that sensitive information, including full legal names and dates of birth, could be disclosed in police communications, with some subjects being minors. Also, an arrest does not mean a subject is guilty of a crime.
Another issue with the old system, Mills said, is that not every listener is a good faith actor, listening for news or idle curiosity. Listening in on officers or a police force as they pursue a suspect or prepare for a raid can give criminals the upper hand and put officers at risk.
“We’ve had numerous cases where someone uses the smartphone apps to monitor law enforcement, only to use that info to their advantage,” Mills said.
The quality of audio between the old and new systems is noticeable, Mills said. He likened it to the difference between an old flip phone and a new digital smartphone. Best of all, the radios are new.
“Having to buy spare parts off eBay is not a good feeling, but for a while there, it was our only option,” Mills said.
Like the old system, Mills said, the new one is an 800 MHz trunked radio system but is compliant with the latest P25 standards, which ensure interoperability between all brands of radio equipment for emergency responders.
“It’s not just about the radios used by fire, EMS, law enforcement and 911; we have made huge investments in the equipment at each of our 22 radio towers,” Mills said.
He explained that the generators, roofs, uninterrupted power supplies and security systems, as well as the microwave and fiber optic network backhauls (connecting radios to a wired backbone), were upgraded at the tower sites.
“The new system is more robust and resilient,” Mills said. “The old system was end of life and no longer supported by the manufacturer, so we are in a much better spot today.”
But what about the scanners and all the curious listeners?
Although that information will no longer be available in real time, Mills said that Sno911 is working on keeping information for the media quick and accessible.
“We all respect and appreciate the crucial work of the media, and we have had some meetings with our media partners focused on access,” Mills said. “I’m hoping here in the next 30 days or so we’ll have something up on our website that will help.”
To learn more about Sno911, visit the website at sno911.org.
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