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I came across an article today from a local television affiliate in Jacksonville that made my blood boil.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/28611736/detail.html

Here’s the gist in case you don’t want to read it…

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has been using an encrypted radio system for some time. That means in order to hear them, you need the encryption key, similar to a password, to decode the sound into something we can understand. Otherwise, the transmissions will sound like static.

For an encrypted system, you need to purchase an actual police radio, which runs into a couple thousand dollars. Additionally, as I already stated, you will need the key, which is only available to whoever manages the agency’s radio shop. You can’t crack it or guess it, at least not without some serious time and money.

Now the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wasn’t being complete secret squirrels by secluding their traffic stops and barking dog calls to 99.9% of the population. They’ve programmed a few radios with the encryption key and have been leasing them to the media. Well, not anymore.

Apparently JSO want’s them back because of the “costs.”  I’m sure those radios have long been paid off and JSO will continue to get paid for those radios as long as the media wants to listen to them, which is forever. Who in the heck crafted that argument?

So when all else fails, they played the “safety concerns” card. I understand some aspects of law enforcement need to be secure. Agencies that spend your tax dollars on encrypting radio transmissions have the option of keeping some of them unencrypted. I think an ethical law enforcement agency wouldn’t encrypt all police channels.

Many agencies keep their dispatch channels in the clear, and only encrypt channels where they conduct VICE, SWAT, Narcotics, and Undercover operations. That is completely acceptable. But keeping normal patrol operation channels encrypted, just because you can, says nothing other than “We don’t want you to know what we’re up to.”

As the typical response from a law enforcement officer when you tell them you have done nothing wrong and wish to remain silent… “if you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?” It goes both ways.

I remember when I heard a vehicle pursuit on the scanner last year. A rookie cop pursued a petty theft suspect, the suspect wrecked after failing to negotiate a turn, causing serious injury. When the press release came out several hours later, it stated that the cop was never engaged in a pursuit. BULL.

I heard the transmissions and I could hear the rookie scream on top of the blaring siren. It was a cover up because they had violated their own pursuit policy and did not want to be held accountable for the suspect’s injuries, even though he did deserve it.

I have come to the conclusion in my experience that MOST public information officers only willingly release what makes the department look good. Only when the media calls in about a specific event a press release is sent out. If a officer saves a baby from a car fire, the release is sent out immediately. If the officer shoots an unarmed civilian, don’t expect much. If the media has no access to scanners, how are they going to know if something happened?

I think it’s less of PIO’s being uninformed of what the agency is involved in, and more as an attempt to omit information unless someone inquires. Now in all fairness, there are a few PIO’s who are very prompt and forthcoming with newsworthy information. They’re hard to find though, and I have worked with some great PIO’s, but unfortunately most of them end up being puppets of the agency they work for.

I remember recently when I was at a rather large drug bust. When I showed up, I was told I cannot stand across from the house, even though the street was completely free for traffic and pedestrians. I was told that publicity of the bust would jeopardize future investigations. I called the PIO and was told that many of the mainstream media would be more than happy to keep silent and not report the event.

What I did was called all of my clients. Everyone TV station showed up and a press release was sent, including the names of the arrestees. But they still didn’t want us to be there for some reason even though they gave us everything to make a story other than video. We were eventually allowed to shoot where we were legally allowed to be. This is after three hours of wasted time and arguing with people who don’t have a leg to stand on.

I didn’t make money on that call, but that sure as hell sent a message that I’m not going to play around anymore. We have a right to report on our stories and a law enforcement agency is not allowed to intimidate anyone from getting the very least, video of a scene from a public area. You can read more about fair access to scenes in my previous blog posts.

Many news organizations conduct “beat checks.” This usually consists of a member of the media calling a police or fire department asking if “anything is going on.” When I was dispatcher, I was told to lie to the media and say “nothing is happening” when asked that question. Why? Well because it’s not public record unless it’s specific request, like “Are you working a shooting on Maple Street?” Makes you think how much time news agencies have wasted on these beat checks.

This is where I think scanners have freed up a lot of media related inquiries to the dispatchers and PIO’s alike. In order for me to get to a scene and shoot my five minutes of video, I only need to know what it is, where it is, and some very basic information that almost always comes from the scanner. There was hardly a need for me to wake up a sleeping PIO or bother understaffed dispatch centers for information I can obtain on my own.

Since all information I obtained on scene needed to be confirmed by my stations before I sold a video to them, I hardly did any digging. I always knew no matter what information I gathered, I’d have to wait for the press release before they would make a decision. So I went by the motto “shoot now, ask questions later.”

I think even the best PIO’s are not capable of sending a release minutes after a newsworthy event occurs, nor do I expect them to. Most of them work dayside and are only aware of something newsworthy at night when a member of the media or a department employee calls them, and that’s if they follow proper notification procedures.

News media outlets now have fewer personnel and demands for more content and timeliness. That means for the most part, everything a PIO says is assumed true, accurate, and is reported. This enables the government to lie, cover up, and withhold pertinent information from the gatekeepers of the news. This is the most dangerous thing of all. Thank God for investigative journalism.

I know many people think the media is a bunch of blood sucking sensationalists. But think of a world where your only source of information comes directly from a government owned news source. Think of a world where there’s no independent organization who makes sure our government officials are doing their job and upholding federal, state, and local laws. For me, I like to know things and at the same time, I don’t just take anyone’s word for it.

What I am trying to say is even if PIO’s will forever be available, they cannot be a replacement for a scanner. On a scanner you hear everything as it happens with no slant. Sometimes the information isn’t accurate, but at least you know what questions to ask the PIO when the release comes out. “If the officer was not in pursuit, how come we heard sirens on the scanner? Can we get a copy of those transmissions to verify?’ See my point?

Now if the sheriff or chief of a department is dead set on encrypting everything, it’s going to happen no matter how many people get angry. There are some departments who have healthy, open relationships with the public. However, there are some that do not. The media, and any citizen who cares enough to stop this trend can do one of several things.

1. Make record requests daily

2. Make beat checks every hour

3. Show up to every tip you get from a viewer, even domestic calls

4. Pay tippers if they observe police activity

5. If you see a bunch of cruisers flying a certain direction, try to drive around until you find where they were going

Sometimes in order to get what you want, you have to be as persistent as possible. If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, don’t expect others to do it for you. I was never one to lay back and see things go to hell. “The squeaky wheel gets the oil…”

I have to say this every time I post things like this. I am not anti-cop. I used to work for a police department and I have many friends working for nearby law enforcement agencies. Heck, my grandfather is a Sargent for a sheriff’s office in New York. And this rant is not directed towards every agency, just those who like to keep the public and media in the dark.

Remember, our own president is in favor of a transparent government. It starts on a local level. In a way, these agencies who block their system from the public are against our Commander and Chief. How un-American is that?

I think encryption isn’t where it is going to end. Before you know it more aspects of  local government will be unavailable for review. You give an inch, they take a mile. This has to stop and frankly only the media, and pressure from groups of concerned American citizens is the only hope.

Thankfully, the only agencies that are 100% encrypted in the Tampa bay area is the Temple Terrace Police & Fire department and the Florida Highway Patrol. The funny thing is, I hear employees of those agencies complain about how crappy their radios are and how they are not able to communicate with nearby agencies. I thought these departments were concerned with safety… guess not.

Some of you have been asking where the heck I’ve been so I feel I owe you all an answer.

A couple weeks go I secured a new job with a great company. Unfortunately I will not go into details because I don’t want certain “drama starters” to ruin this opportunity for me. But I assure you, I could not refuse this offer.

Although I was always able to get my bills paid solely from stringing, this opportunity presents much more money, security, and benefits. And considering the drop in sales because of LNS, stations cutting back because the economy, and free cell phone video… this is a wise move.

I am on my first week and my schedule is been kind of hectic, thus I haven’t been out on the streets at all. As soon as my schedule is finalized and steady I will be back out covering breaking news on my days off and when I’m not on the clock. But if you need to send me on an assignment until then, you can call me at (813) 398-8264.

Thanks!

TAMPA – Investigators are trying to determine the cause of an early morning fire in the Town N  Country area.

The call came in around 4:07 at a home on Idlewild Avenue, just east of Axleod Road. Hillsborough Fire Rescue arrived within minutes and reported flames shooting from the structure. The fire was knocked down in only a few minutes.

According to several neighbors, the house is abandoned. Crews requested an investigator to the scene to determine the source of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

I don’t care what stats are given to me. Crime is definitely on the rise.

One agency’s police chief in my area boasted a significant reduction in crime since she took over. For people who believe every thing they’re told, that might be enough. But I”ve been told by friends from that agency that the stats are severely “lumped.”

For instance if officers respond to thirty burglaries in one neighborhood overnight, they used to report it as thirty separate burglarizes. Today in that same situation those burglaries now count under one report. It certainly reduces the paperwork involved but makes the statistics highly inaccurate.

Thus, many agencies are using the fabricated low crime statistics as an excuse to lay off public safety personnel. This article made me furious…

http://www.kctv5.com/story/14976790/police-cadets-hired-and-fired-in-same-day

Remember in Camden, NJ where they cut half of the police force and a third of the fire department?

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/mass_police_layoffs_being_in_c.html

Where is the outrage here? Emergency services should be the LAST thing cut when it comes to a government budget crisis. Governor Rick Scott has also been talking about cutting or eliminating the Florida Highway Patrol. How did he get elected again? Oh, he was rich.

One way to save money is cut pay where it counts. Like Hillsborough School Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia, making over $253,000 a year, not including her yearly five figure bonuses. At least Hillsborough did the right thing by firing Administrator Pat Bean after approving a pay raise for herself.

But who knows who else is getting richer while firing those who keep us in once piece.

TAMPA – Hillsborough County deputies are investigating an early morning shooting in Westchase.

It happened Tuesday at 7039 Drury Street, off of Silvermill Drive. According to deputies, one brother shot another in the groin area during a family dispute. The victim was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in critical condition. The shooter was taken into custody at the scene.

No names have been released.