YPD new police radios increase officer safety and security for public information
Youngstown police and fire have joined a growing number of first responders in Mahoning County switching to a new radio system.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Youngstown police and fire have joined a growing number of first responders in Mahoning County switching to a new radio system.
In the case of the Youngstown Police Department, that means their radio traffic will be "encrypted" so the public, news agencies, and criminals won't be able to hear it.
Police believe it will increase safety for police, and will better secure personal information for the public they serve.
Just before 6:00 am Thursday morning Youngstown Police Chief Robin Lees says Youngstown police and Youngstown fire flipped the switch on their radio system changing from the old to the new.
Chief Lees says there was considerable cost to revamp the old radio system, and it was deteriorating quickly. So his department picked up the cost for both departments to switch.
In some cases there were dead spots where officers radio transmissions could not be heard.
That's why the decision to move to the new 800 megahertz radio system.
Chief Lees says the transmission of the new system is crisp and clear and the new radios that come at a cost of approximately $3,000 each can already transmit to areas they've never been able to reach in recent history.
"In the tests we've done with the new system, in conjunction with the fire department, we've been able to reach into the radiology area of St. Elizabeth down in the tunnel that they have connecting some of the buildings. Again the signal strength and the ability to reach firefighters and officers that might be in remote spots seems to be better than it was before. We don't want to have an officer in a basement somewhere on a far side of town and not be able to get out a signal that he needs help or that there's something wrong. So for both safety services this system is going to be good for all," Chief Lees said.
Monitoring scanner traffic is one way 21 News gathers the news of the day, by going out to the scenes of police and fire calls and following up on information in your neighborhood.
However, since Youngstown police are now encrypting its radio calls, scanner traffic is blacked out to anyone listening who isn't equipped with a special code and a special police radio.
"The encryption will allow us to operate without people overhearing the calls, anticipating our arrival. You know in these types of situations with attacks, ambushes on police occurring, we can't be too careful," Chief Lees said.
However, the issue is not only a police safety issue, but a privacy and security issue for you as well.
Chief Lees tells 21 News, "We transmit a lot of confidential information, and I don't mean police confidential information. But I mean we stop you and you don't have your driver's license. So what do you do? You give us your Social Security number and date of birth so that we can do a computer check of the status of your license. Well a lot of this stuff is being broadcast over the radio. So in essence, if you were an identity thief, you could sit there, and if you got yourself acclamated to our radio traffic, you could probably gleen enough informatio to do that."
The chief is already working with Mahoning County law enforcement officials to provide local media with access to the new radio system as soon as possible realizing the need for news gathering, and the ability to work together in the event of a public emergency.
