Visalia Police Department switches from clear to encrypted radio operations

The section emphasizes the changes could assistance support people's privateness and nationalist safety.

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Visalia Police Department is going vigor soundless arsenic it has officially switched from wide to encrypted vigor operations, meaning the nationalist volition nary longer beryllium capable to perceive to scanner traffic.

The section emphasizes the changes could assistance support people's privateness and nationalist safety.

This follows a Department of Justice Policy from 2020, which requires instrumentality enforcement agencies to bash much to support Personally Identifiable Information oregon P.I.I.

"We often transmit that implicit the radio, whether its code information, names, dates of birth, driver's licence information. We needed to bash much to support that P.I.I.," says Visalia Police Chief, Jason Salazar.

Chief Salazar says determination were different options, similar having 2 channels but ultimately, the astir businesslike mode was done encryption.

But it besides means radical with scanners oregon compatible radios volition not beryllium capable to perceive transmissions and perceive successful to details of a imaginable exigency successful progress.

"We are delicate to the change, and alteration is ever difficult. People person been capable to perceive to the scanners for decades, and we recognize this is simply a important change, and we are delicate to that. We volition bash our portion to proceed to pass with radical successful the assemblage and the media to marque definite you are informed," explains Chief Salazar.

The connection changes outgo implicit $1.8 million.

American Rescue Plan Funds from COVID-19 funded the task and upgrades to their radios.

The nationalist volition inactive person entree to definite constabulary calls online.

The Visalia Fire Department's channels volition stay the same.

"It's each astir that PII, that delicate accusation from our citizens erstwhile we respond to our calls. It conscionable doesn't necessitate america to spell backmost and distant with our dispatchers and dispatch centers and relay that benignant of information," says Visalia Fire Chief, Dan Griswold.

Visalia PD is among astir 200 agencies successful California that person switched to encrypted communication.

They notation radical volition inactive beryllium capable to get accusation online.

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