NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Legislation that would require law enforcement agencies to preserve live access to their radio communications for the press and volunteer first responders has been sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature.
The "Keep Police Radio Public Act" was introduced in response to efforts by the NYPD, Nassau County Police Department, and other departments across the state to transition from traditional radio scanners to encrypted radios.
The proposal, which was approved Thursday, would require police departments to grant journalists and emergency services organizations access to their encrypted radio communications. The bill allows for exemptions of information deemed "sensitive."
The state will need to come up with exact rules on how access will work under the proposal. Hochul's office said she would review the bill.
The measure is a victory for media organizations whose reporters and photographers often tune in to police radio chatter and then zip over to crime scenes or other big happenings in search of stories that may be in the public's interest.
One of the bill's co-sponsors, state Sen. Michael Gianaris, of Queens, said he believes the bill strikes the right balance between legitimate law enforcement needs and the rights and interests of New Yorkers, including a free press.
"In this case they're saying, 'if it ain't broke, let's break it,'" Gianaris said. "I don't know why we needed to make this change. There was never a problem with full public access to police radios."
In addition to the media, the bill preserves live access to volunteer first responders, said co-sponsor Karines Reyes, an Assembly member from the Bronx.
"The people that respond to emergencies in real time, use this technology and access to police radios to be able to do the work," Reyes said.
Todd Maisel, a photographer and journalist who's been working the streets of the city for decades, said "we can't have law enforcement controlling all the information."
"Sometimes notification by email doesn't happen for hours—hours after—and by the time the press gets to these scenes, it's over. The tape is gone, the witnesses are gone, the victims are gone," Maisel said.
The NYPD said encrypting radio feeds is meant to protect officers and victims.
"Encrypting police radio communications is necessary for both the safety of law enforcement, as well as to protect the privacy interests of victims and witnesses," the department said in a written statement. "Requiring the NYPD to provide real-time access could jeopardize officer safety and victim privacy."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
