ACP to draft letter on police radio encryption; will revisit options including delayed public feeds

Commissioners raised concerns Aug. 11 that plans to encrypt some Montgomery County police radio and dispatch communications could reduce transparency and complicate public access to real-time public-safety information.

“I'm a 100% opposed to two things. One, that all the information is encrypted,” Commissioner Sherry said during the meeting, adding that encryption can undermine transparency and government openness. Several commissioners and staff noted privacy and tactical considerations that justify limited encryption for personally identifying information (PII) or operational tactics, but they agreed the commission should study alternatives used elsewhere.

Commission staff and commissioners cited other jurisdictions’ approaches: Baltimore provides a time-delayed public feed that allows redaction of PII before posting; some states require media access provisions; credentialing is used in other contexts but raises concerns about restricting access to a subset of outlets. Commissioner Francisco offered to draft a letter summarizing the commission’s concerns and pointing to models (time-delayed feeds, credentialed access with safeguards) for council consideration. Commissioners asked that the draft be circulated in advance so the commission can take formal action at its October meeting.

Staff noted there will be costs and operational work tied to redaction or delayed feeds, but the commission did not adopt a final position on which technical model to recommend. The action item is a staff- and commissioner-drafted letter to open focused discussion in October.