Evansville Officials Weigh In On The Public and Media’s Access to Police Scanner Traffic

When you hear emergency sirens in your neighborhood, what's the first thing you do? If you're on social media you probably check EvansvilleWatch or the local news pages to see if there's been a wreck or other type of situation that might affect your safety. Folks in Owensboro, Kentucky can no longer hear police radio traffic.

Why Encrypt Police Scanner Traffic?

Owensboro is not the only city that has made the decision to encrypt scanner traffic. This means that the public can't hear the dispatch runs and conversations that can contain personal information. Officer safety is another issue that led Owensboro officials to decide to encrypt the police scanner. This includes scanner apps on mobile devices.

Using Scanner Traffic To Assist The Public

The Admins at EvansvilleWatch relay important and timely information about police, fire, and EMS calls in an effort to keep the public informed and safe. But what if scanner traffic in Evansville goes silent? Is that something we should prepare for?

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EvansvilleWatch:

"We feel it would be a huge blow to public trust...Something that our local law enforcement has worked so hard to maintain, and much greater than other communities."

Vanderburgh Sheriff Noah Robinson:

"There are certainly public safety benefits to residents having access to live police radio traffic. There are also some significant drawbacks in terms of maintaining officer safety and preventing criminals from gaining an edge. Any decision made in the future would not be an all-or-nothing proposition. We have a duty to ensure the public receives timely notice of events that may impact their safety."

Philip Smith Chief of Police Evansville Police Department:

"I would echo the Sheriff. I would also add that with technological advances like X or other social media platforms, local law enforcement currently puts out pertinent information pertaining to safety to the public, traffic alerts, ect... Other local news and media outlets also put that information out on a regular basis. It's important that we do that to maintain a transparent relationship with the community we serve."

Carrie James Director Evansville Vanderburgh Central Dispatch:

"At this time, Central Dispatch does not have a policy for denying access to scanner traffic.  I agree with both Sheriff Robinson and Chief Smith in that any decision would not be an all-or-nothing provision and we also use social media to inform the public.  I believe all Public Safety departments would have to be in agreement with any change in a decision about scanner traffic."