[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6178409,"mediaKeyId","5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1","parentId",5241794,"title","Montgomery County police say full radio encryption is needed to protect privacy and officer safety","audioSeconds",840,"startMs",547000,"endMs",1387000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1&start=547&end=1387","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1/thumbnail_547000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6178409/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Montgomery-County-police-say-full-radio-encryption-is-needed-to-protect-privacy-and-officer-safety","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178409-87e5081a2942ae0c3f9f14aa6b3e4710/orig.mp4?Expires=1773619582&Signature=KFk6qt3fYSSem1bAhFyI6~yvh0roNcn7vTTaCca3JxXkX9sb8gipMHIbtvTyx~UtGTmfWcQ~-QKj1sgzEm9gnDdKWq87Et37Iq1vgXZzzsHsOvAboDFOe9SPLgFeJeEhVgsPn6DcJfnYfdAz1O9VDdqAJ-c3Va4p0ya9E5oyACMwGtdYXMoyA-LZBlkUbvhY58Zce4oxSWMxuOifBaBot3K3ll9fDkfH53RgKYPq6X-QWbpBAczehgPUZY8uVg7hDybHUTmoJzMUJiRsMVrB7oyw0Q5xkqVi94zyYGXicqIpQG6ROhO-i4IM06WYNc7d9y~XHBxsaIs~2gjpdkQzwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montgomery County, MD","date","2025-07-02T20:49:39Z","article","Montgomery County Police officials told the County Council Public Safety work session on July 7, 2025, that the department is completing full encryption of its radio system for dispatch and patrol channels to protect sensitive personal information and officer safety.

Department leaders said the measure is intended to reduce incidents such as swatting, blunt the spread of unverified information in real time and meet FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirements for transmitting protected records. Chief Mark Yamada, chief of police, said the move toward encryption \"has become a necessity for law enforcement, not just regionally, but nationally.\"

The decision follows a phased approach the department described at the meeting. Assistant Chief Nicholas Oggstein, chief of the Management Services Bureau, said Montgomery County Police has been able to encrypt tactical channels since 2016 and is now in a final phase to encrypt dispatch and vehicle radios. \"Radio encryption is securing our transmissions via a key across the department and limiting the ability for public or outside users to listen to those transmissions,\" Oggstein said. He added that many law enforcement agencies in the National Capital Region and elsewhere have used encryption for years.

Officials outlined three reasons they gave the Council: safety of first responders, protection of individuals’ personally identifiable information transmitted over the air, and compliance with FBI/CJIS rules when CJIS information is shared with officers. Oggstein noted that dispatch transmissions can include dates of birth, names and other unverified details that, when public, can lead to identity exposure or reputational harm. Yamada and other speakers cited recent incidents in which real-time radio monitoring or automated apps were used to follow responses and escalate dangerous behavior.

Council staff and police discussed transparency and public access. County staff member Susan Farag told the committee that recorded transmissions will continue to be available through Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) requests and that the department is expanding its public information capacity. \"Our transmissions will still be recorded, and they will still be available through MPIA request,\" Oggstein said, and the department has advertised to increase decentralized public information officers to provide faster, official updates.

Officials said the encryption rollout will include municipalities that use the county radio system and that no additional equipment cost is expected because radios already have encryption capability. The department said vehicle encryption work is underway and that interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions has been addressed: \"We identified a shortcoming, and we've now gotten that agency on board with the technology they need,\" Assistant Chief Darren Frank said.

Council members asked about legal claims invoked during the presentation. Farag and the county attorney clarified that HIPAA does not impose obligations on local police; encryption was described as a privacy and operational safety step rather than a HIPAA-driven legal compliance action. Legal counsel present confirmed CJIS access requires encryption for CJIS-protected transmissions.

The department summarized next steps as completing vehicle encryption, expanding PIO staffing, and monitoring MPIA demand for redaction work. Officials said recorded radio traffic will remain auditable and available through established public records procedures.

Supporters at the work session framed the change as aligning Montgomery County with regional practice and protecting victims, civilians and responders; those who raised concerns sought assurances about timely public information and equitable access to records via MPIA requests. Police said the combination of encryption with active PIO updates and MPIA access is intended to balance operational safety with transparency.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","July 7, 2025 - PS Committee Worksession","oneSentenceSummary","Montgomery County Police officials told the County Council Public Safety work session on July 7, 2025, that the department is completing full encryption of its radio system for dispatch and patrol channels to protect sensitive personal information and officer safety.","taxTitle","Montgomery County, Maryland","taxId",3351,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6178399,"Committee approves Executive Regulation 12‑25, raising alarm fees and adding a 30‑minute silencing standard",419,4138000,4557000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1&start=4138&end=4557","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1/thumbnail_4138000.jpg","/articles/6178399/Montgomery-County/Maryland/Committee-approves-Executive-Regulation-1225-raising-alarm-fees-and-adding-a-30minute-silencing-standard","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178399-48fc05cbadcd147f98c1f449d0020523/orig.mp4?Expires=1773619582&Signature=BNf~x9330WNtEBk79iY~xSwIpIkEhjSszqMPROkrE7ZqYMf6wPpmQXl0AwJxZxwGDdZAsO1u7Aa-fkubItptvr-2MK8AUzDKX9rsMZzbSvAlNP6UCLSAlztknHOM7kKIBkVUZ4OgruqrtjgOnbaCWPBfR8EbfJktK6Uniyqw1IUGbD3dOzfGYZiWLo3PrwQ3n40T0wwLvdO5k-94X-fe46emYy7~tzcpl~uWd4E6klFu6xsb0RJHEbMcG9l~acIqdqIGYs-sKS7sqZgrNm5UxQBFGu6G9gJ3jS501iNmg21mc0vUyl~yDGxMlwFB9ZpUG6axIj6xakCuQR-eXKTysQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Montgomery County Public Safety work session on July 7 approved Executive Regulation 12‑25, which raises alarm registration fees and adds a technical standard for alarm systems; the committee approved the regulation by acclamation.

Council staff explained the regulation would replace the current code language, increase the biannual alarm-user renewal fee from $10 to $20 and raise the commercial alarm-user registration fee from $30 to $60. The regulation also adds a technical adjustment: any audible alarm must automatically silence the annunciator within 30 minutes after activation. The regulation was advertised in the April register and drew no public comments during advertising, staff said.

Council staff said the fees have not been updated since 1995 and that inflation and administrative costs justify the increase. The fiscal-impact statement transmitted with the regulation projects a county revenue increase of about $260,000 if the regulation is approved and estimates total alarm-program revenues at roughly $1.6 million for fiscal 2026.

Committee members discussed the rationale and operational implications. Assistant Chief Darren Frank and budget director Dale Phillips described work by the county’s false-alarm unit to reduce repeated false calls and to work with businesses that generate frequent alarms; the team also assists unregistered locations to bring systems into compliance. Frank said registration creates an accountability mechanism (including escalating fines) that reduces repeat false alarms and frees officers to answer verified 911 incidents. Phillips said county staff proactively visits frequent-false‑alarm locations to help owners correct issues and obtain proper registration.

Council members sought assurance that genuinely verified in-progress burglaries would still generate responses even where an alarm is unregistered. Frank said active reports from residents or camera-verified suspicious events are handled as distinct calls for service and will be dispatched; the registration program and fines address non‑verified or repeat false alarms that consume resources.

The work session chair called for approval by acclamation; council staff recorded the regulation as adopted. The department and council staff said they will continue outreach to increase registration and maintain the false-alarm reduction unit to limit unnecessary dispatches.","The Public Safety work session approved Executive Regulation 12‑25 by acclamation on July 7, 2025, increasing biannual alarm-user renewal fees and commercial registration fees and adding a technical standard that audible alarms must automatically silence within 30 minutes; county staff estimated a $260,000 revenue increase for FY26.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6178404,"County police report limited use of consent searches, plan longer review and more training",1282,2694000,3976000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1&start=2694&end=3976","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5241794-8e7f6a67c8314c1160113799062dd3d1/thumbnail_2694000.jpg","/articles/6178404/Montgomery-County/Maryland/County-police-report-limited-use-of-consent-searches-plan-longer-review-and-more-training","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6178404-aa0362b387c3da632b29d9ab5f22f6b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1773619582&Signature=FEXttFl4PJ2n2RYDhqIjo2aqgiXQ2og-eXceOb8pzBPhOnMPbTbWEx6sWcj-rnzvc~C01C5yh8-IzcjaR12J8ftqzQOWokd7ShirRD1g2DP4FwfvuRuR~e0lLx056t-2pSawhA37-0o16R3EirPN64l-t54q3~b1l0nGYNlugcT-6~YpyTa-EnRGkUnKjEzqsWCLQ~1oaiqUG8BHbh9vvlhXf7EMouNJYd3FNki9zoq14-bLHsp0AapMNtDuZ4PFsMrcsuN5ddQYmAJon6YlbZhsPWPCGD91FOaMoZaq0dnlJHhsfkaC8-8QM~aYWIbTTku0VF7ju6-gojPUDo9kAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Montgomery County Police told the County Council Public Safety work session on July 7 that consent searches tied to traffic stops are rare, subject to expanded documentation and supervisory review, and under active review for training and data improvements.

Chief Mark Yamada said the department has added layers of oversight and training to protect constitutional rights. \"My goal as chief is to ensure the constitutional rights of the community members are upheld,\" Yamada said, adding the department has increased documentation, used an app to collect consent-search data in real time, and put external review bodies in place.

Assistant Chief Darren Frank and other department presenters showed six months of app data covering traffic-stop consent-search requests. The department reported roughly 23,000 traffic stops during the period; officers asked for consent during about 0.45% of those stops. The app recorded 134 consent-search requests in the six months, 119 of which were granted. The department said two firearms and 17 other items were recovered during consent searches in that period; contraband was located in about 16% of searches.

The consent-search policy, rolled out Nov. 6, 2024, requires officers to advise motorists that they may refuse consent, obtain a verbal acknowledgment, record the interaction on body-worn cameras or mobile video, document the request in the consent app and, except in rare circumstances, articulate reasonable articulable suspicion before asking for consent. Supervisors must review traffic-stop consent searches within five working days; the department also conducts random body-worn-camera reviews. Officials said the county's consent-search policy is more restrictive than constitutional requirements.

Council staff member Susan Farag and department presenters cautioned the data set is small and not yet statistically robust. Farag said preliminary racial breakdowns appeared uneven — she cited higher contraband hit rates for Black and Hispanic subjects in the limited sample — but she stressed the sample is too small for definitive conclusions and recommended outside academic review. \"This is a tiny universe of stops,\" Farag said. \"We could change that whole narrative if they'd asked two more people to get searched.\"

Department leaders described corrective measures taken when reviews found documentation gaps: two cases lacked clear articulation in the app and supervisors provided remedial training; executives noted the missing information was present in event reports or body-worn camera footage. The department said its random review unit has found no policy violations to date. In 2024 the department recorded six complaints related to stops where a consent search occurred; four were sent to the Advisory Commission and exonerated, two remain open. Two complaints were opened in 2025 and are under investigation.

Council members and police discussed practical safeguards and officer safety. Several council members urged that, when safe and practicable, officers articulate observable facts on body-worn cameras before conducting searches to create contemporaneous records; police trainers said that is taught as a best practice but cautioned that dynamic officer‑safety situations sometimes preclude a verbalized pre‑search narrative. Commanders said targeted teams and specialized units accounted for a disproportionate share of consent-search requests and that staffing, district deployments and local crime patterns influence where officers push further on stops.

The department said it will continue training, refine the consent-search app, conduct a 12‑month analysis of the policy's effects and consider longer-term study (some officials suggested multi-year observation) and partnerships with academic researchers to analyze disparities and outcomes. Council members said they will monitor complaint access, data work and training results as the department implements the policy.","Montgomery County Police presented six months of data showing consent searches tied to traffic stops were used in fewer than 0.5% of stops; department leaders emphasized supervisory review, training on reasonable articulable suspicion and a planned 12‑month analysis while council members flagged racial-disparity questions and access to complaint","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Montgomery County police say full radio encryption is needed to protect privacy and officer safety

Committee approves Executive Regulation 12‑25, raising alarm fees and adding a 30‑minute silencing standard

County police report limited use of consent searches, plan longer review and more training