![]() They have solicited expertise from a variety of media trade associations and publishers to help get their heads around the extent of the challenges outlets face. It includes David Cicilline, of Rhode Island Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter, of Colorado Jamie Raskin, of Maryland and Zoe Lofgren, also of California, all Democrats. Last year, DeSaulnier formed The Working Group on Saving Local News. There isn’t a date set at this point as to when the agreement will be sent for signing or when the radio transmissions will go encrypted.” The Colorado Media Project is looking into ways to stabilize local news … that includes taxpayer support ![]() “At this time, the radios are not encrypted. “At this time the final agreement to sign has not been distributed to the media outlets yet,” Denver police spokesperson Jay Casillas told me on June 26. “There must be a way to continue to shine a light on these operations, and we think Denver and Chief Pazen could create a model for the rest of the state to follow,” the board concluded. News organizations have policies dictating the need to verify facts before reporting them and reporters take that responsibility seriously. Reporters aren’t looking to splash lurid details on social media. Reporters learn about fires and shootings, injuries and deaths, arrests and rescues, all by listening to the scanner and then following up with police and fire agencies to get more details of what occurred. Reporters listen for the types of emergencies big and small that the public needs to know about and often the public first learns to stay away from a gas leak or to avoid an area with an armed suspect through local media outlets. Most Americans probably don’t even realize that it’s occurring, but reporters across the nation doggedly listen to radio communications between first responders, searching for breaking news stories. The Denver Post’s editorial board waded in, saying if police scanners go quiet, “Coloradans will lose one important tool of transparency and accountability.” The editorial pointed out why scanners have been an important news gathering tool for journalists: ![]() The has also declined to sign the agreement, but because talks continue between media and city attorney's office, I imagine we won't see DPD cut off public access to police radio traffic today Rival TV station KDVR reported the encryption efforts at Colorado’s largest police agency are creating “controversy.” Denver’s police chief, Paul Pazen, has said encrypting correspondence would protect victim privacy and law enforcement tactics.ĭenver PD still claims there's no firm date for turning on encryption. 9NEWS remains optimistic we can reach an agreement that balances the concerns of police with our responsibility to serve the public.” We cannot accept an agreement that restricts access to public safety information or limits our ability to report in a transparent manner. “We respect the important role law enforcement plays in keeping our community safe. As of June 12, the station hadn’t signed on. Eric Valadez, the 9News director of content, had this to say about it in the report: The agreement “contains restrictions such as no recording or broadcasting transmissions,” reported KUSA 9News. The latest dustup is in Denver, where the police department this month indicated it would ask media outlets to sign an agreement in order to access scanner traffic. Scanner technology has become more accessible through smartphone apps, and encryption has become easier and less expensive.” “That means journalists and others can’t listen in using a scanner or smartphone app to learn about routine police calls,” wrote my colleague Jonathan Peters, a lawyer and Columbia Journalism Review’s press freedom correspondent, earlier this year. “Law enforcement officials say that’s basically the point. Colorado has become a flashpoint in a national debate about the extent to which the public and press should be able to hear communication crackle across police scanners.ĭozens of police agencies here are encrypting their radio communications and keeping crime reporters in the dark.
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