Longmont police scanner encryption study shows widespread officer support

Times-Call (Longmont): Longmont police on Sunday released a report from six months of data collection on the department’s radio encryption pilot that generally shows improvements in officer safety and effectiveness.

A poll of police officers also found that all but one want to see the encryption continue, with 98 percent of officers surveyed saying they felt safer with the encryption in place.

Longmont police Deputy Chief Jeff Satur said the results of the study will be shared with the Longmont City Council on May 14. A final decision on whether to continue the encryption hasn’t yet been made, he said.

“We want to talk with our council first,” he said.

The department in September began dispatching its calls through an encrypted channel so that the public cannot listen to police communication on scanners or scanner cellphone apps. Local media outlets, including the Times-Call, were provided a scanner to listen to encrypted radio traffic.

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