Newtown police two-way radio communications, which formerly were intelligible on emergency frequency radio scanners, have been switched to full-encryption mode, in which those digital signals are electronically encrypted, and thus made unintelligible to outsiders who do not have radio decryption circuitry.The Newtown Bee, uses emergency frequency scanners to stay abreast of public safety situations, as they are occurring. Not having the ability to monitor police radio transmissions lessens that capability, reducing the ability to keep the public aware of various emergencies especially through news postings on the internet.Police ChiefEncryption ModeEncryption Comments

The changeover to full encryption occurred on July 1. In the weeks and months preceding that changeover, an increasing percentage of police radio transmissions had been encrypted. In the past, police occasionally used encryption, as needed, to discuss sensitive matters via two-way radio transmissions.

Police have the encryption/decryption electronics in their radios which allow them to understand what is being said during their radio transmissions. However, people listening with typical radio scanners, which do not have those circuits, hear only pulsing high frequency noise instead of human speech.

Because radio decryption devices are not commercially available, police radio communications are now unintelligible to the general public.

The two-way analog radio transmissions for the five local volunteer fire companies, the volunteer ambulance service, and Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue (NUSAR) are not encrypted, and thus remain intelligible to listeners using an emergency frequencies scanner.

The Newtown police frequency is 156.12750 megaHertz (mHz). The fire/ambulance/NUSAR frequency is 154.12250 mHz. The low-power fireground/fire police frequency is 151.62500 mHz.

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Police Chief James Viadero said July 11 that he decided to convert all police radio transmissions to the encrypted mode for the sake of police security.

Based on the actions of certain people whom police encountered when they responded to some calls for service during the past several months, police believe that those people had been listening to intelligible police radio transmissions via scanners before police arrived at the scene, Chief Viadero said.

Such situations could potentially pose "officer safety" issues for police, he said.

The police chief noted that an emergency frequency radio scanner is no longer necessary for the public to monitor police frequencies. People using smartphones can now obtain software that allows them to monitor police radio frequencies via their smartphones. Many criminals who want to know what police are doing have smartphone applications which allow them to monitor police radio frequencies, he said.

"I made a managerial decision," Chief Viadero said in terms of switching all police radio transmissions to the encrypted mode.

"In light of what happened Thursday night, I'm glad I made that decision," he said in reference to the July 7 murder of five police officers and the wounding of many others by a gunman in Dallas, Texas.

On July 18, the police chief underscored the need for full radio encryption, referring to a July 17 shooting incident in Baton Rogue, La., in which three officers were killed by a gunman.

Chief Viadero said that Newtown police changing to full encryption mode was not done for the sake of secrecy, but for the sake of police officer safety. "I've got a serious concern for my officers' safety," he said.

"It's a tool," Chief Viadero said of encryption.

Chief Viadero noted that recently police responded to a report of a burglary in progress, a situation which can be perilous for police.

The chief, who formerly was a captain at the Bridgeport Police Department, said that law enforcement agency switched its police communications to full encryption mode several years ago because many criminals had been monitoring police radio frequencies.

"The end-goal (of policing) is to be 'transparent,'" but there is a definite need to protect police officers' safety, Chief Viadero said.

In the past, Newtown police used radio encryption on a call-by-call basis, depending upon the circumstances of a given situation, he said.

However, the police chief said that the police's need to repeatedly switch back and forth between non-encrypted and encrypted signals had become cumbersome. If all police involved in a given situation are not transmitting in the correct radio mode, there could be a potentially hazardous lack of communications, he said.

Reducing the complexity of police radio communications by staying in the same transmission mode at all times, in effect, simplifies communications during stressful situations, he said.

Chief Viadero likened full-encryption radio to the police's use of ballistic vests - a means of protection.

"We want secure (radio) frequencies," he said, terming full encryption "a prudent measure."

Manchester Police Chief Marc Montminy, who is chairman of the technology committee for the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), said that more than 20 law enforcement agencies across the state have individual encryption capabilities for their radio transmissions.

Chief Montminy said it is unclear to what degree those various agencies now use their encryption capability.

Beside Newtown police, state police have access to encryption mode. Other police agencies with encryption capabilities are in Branford, Bridgeport, Bristol, Darien, Greenwich, Madison, Manchester, Meriden, Middlebury, Milford, Naugatuck, New Britain, Norwalk, Southbury, Stamford, Trumbull, Wallingford, Waterbury, and Wethersfield.

The group known as Urban Area Security Initiative, Region 1, comprising police who cover 14 municipalities in a 371-square-mile area in southwest Connecticut, have a radio encryption capability for their dedicated interoperable radio frequency.

Thomas Hennick, the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission's (FOIC) public education officer, said that the FOIC does not have jurisdiction over "live" two-way police radio transmissions.

However, if those transmissions exist in the form of audio recordings, or in the form of transcripts of such recordings, those "documents" would then be subject to the provisions of the state's Freedom of Information Act, he said. The FOI law concerns public access to public documents.

Mr Hennick noted, however, that the FOI law would allow police to withhold certain content in such documents from public disclosure.

Asked to comment on the Newtown police's recent changeover to full radio encryption, Police Commission Chairman Joel Faxon said July 8, "This was not a change that was discussed at any Board of Police Commissioners meeting, since operational matters and officer safety issues such as this are reserved for the chief's professional judgment and implementation."

Mr Faxon added, "A change of this type does not require a vote of the Police Commission, but transparency is also important. I fully support the decision to enhance officer safety - particularly in light of the mass police casualty the City of Dallas experienced."

The Police Commission chairman added, "We will, however, likely discuss this issue in some fashion at our next (Police Commission) meeting."

First Selectman Pat Llodra also commented on the radio encryption topic, on July 13.

Mrs Llodra said she had met with Chief Viadero that day to discuss the matter.

"I…now have a full understanding of the rationale behind the decision to go to full-encryption on July 1. I respect his decision-making process and support the action," the first selectman said.

"A wide range of other media venues will be used, as usual, to ensure that the public is properly informed of major events and common concerns, such as traffic accidents, road conditions, Amber and Silver alerts, and such other happenings that are critical information items for community safety and assistance," Mrs Llodra added.