I stand by my thoughts on the matter. Again, nothing we say means anything at all in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it's an easier side to take for those that have their law enforcement agencies already encrypted.
Let's just encrypt everything! Here's a hypothetical for you. You're my trash pickup driver. You communicate on a NXDN trunked radio system, and I'm listening. Last week you neglected to pick up several empty cat food cans from my front lawn. I'm an unstable wing nut and the next time you come for trash pickup, you will incur my wrath. So....now I can't hear you on the radio anymore because you've encrypted. But, I still know you're coming, don't I? If I'm involved as a bad guy on a police call, I have an idea you're coming too, whether your communications are encrypted or not.
If these departments would be allowed to have the funds necessary to build a proper radio system in 2025, they could set up such a system as I describe, as many have. However, in this state, the corruption, idiocy, anti-police sentiment, and pet projects in the name of "wokeness" detract from common sense.
I wonder how much money they've spent on this system?
https://www.snewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Boston_Municipal_Trunk Is it ever going to be used for anything? Our own Wiki says otherwise. Apparently 11 tower sites are required to support 4 talkgroups. There appear to be at least two "big digs of radio" in Massachusetts.
As to fire department encryption? I feel it's the dreaded HIPAA (for those that provide EMS anyway) and a bill of goods being sold to the departments doing so. Or maybe they feel they need that protection too? To beat the dead horse a little more, if that house over there is on fire, or that car in the median strip just went up in flames, it's a safe bet that everyone knows they're coming. The fact that they're encrypted - or not - is irrelevant.
How many people are listening and using scanners and scanner feeds for nefarious purposes? Totally baseless guess, but 1/10th of 1 percent maybe?
My prior commentary in this and prior threads should allow anyone with half a brain to conclude that I am absolutely positively 200% in favor of protecting law enforcement and any public safety personnel. I simply believe there is a proper way to do it. When I worked for my PD, if we had a call that was of a nature where significant problems could arrive, it was simply transmitted to responding personnel by means other than the radio. As a result, the outcome was usually always successful. Everyone was made aware whether they were responding or not, so there were no surprises or compromised responders. Any pertinent radio communications were on arrival and post arrival. It was easily accomplished, and I'll allow that maybe that's because it is a smaller department. So my thoughts again are for that larger department, i.e. a city like Boston, that has an active ongoing major event, switch to your encrypted talkgroups/frequencies. I'm all for that. Day to day operations? Nope. Fund and build a radio system that offers you the best of both worlds, and train your personnel how to use it.