Editorial: Longmont police radio silence goes too far

Times-Call (Longmont): Longmont police dispatch radios have gone silent.

We find this concerning, and not just because news is our bread and butter. It’s because what Longmont police respond to, how they respond and what they share with the public is important to our community. And that’s why it should concern you.

Here’s just one of several recent examples why allowing the public access to police dispatch radio traffic matters.

On Oct. 10, a man carjacked a vehicle in Boulder and drove it to Longmont, where he crashed into another car at Ninth Avenue and Hover Street. From there, he fled on foot.

Longmont High School and Longmont United Hospital were both placed on lockout as police searched the neighborhood just northeast of the crash site. They didn’t find the man, who was believed to be armed at the time of the carjacking.

With Longmont police radio broadcasts encrypted, the Times-Call learned about the carjacking from Boulder police radio traffic; and about the crash because the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office was called to assist.

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