Police scanner chatter in the city of Minneapolis is no longer available to the public.
The city is the largest in the state to now encrypt it's police scanners. Minneapolis 911 Director Joni Hodne says the move is necessary to protect sensitive data and personal privacy, but she says all 911 incident information will still be available on a new online dashboard.
"It will update every 30 minutes and it will map out locations of incidents broken down by police, fire, and behavioral crisis response calls," says Hodne.
Critics say the move will negatively affect police transparency in a department that needs it considering the mandated reforms underway since the police killing of George Floyd.
"So, it's not just about the size of the city," Hodne explains. "This is really, truly about protecting personal information and the safety of the first responders."
The city notes in a press release that the "dramatic rise in the use of social media and scanner apps to track first responders jeopardizes emergency response operations and can lead to the spread of incomplete, inaccurate, or unsubstantiated information," adding that it can cause safety concerns for first responders and the public.
The new dashboard will be updated every 30 minutes and will include the following features:
* 911 calls over the last 12 hours.
* Mapped location of incidents.
* Incidents categorized into police, fire, and BCR calls.
* Incidents categorized by date, agency, neighborhood, or problem code.
911 incidents older than 12 hours will be included in a separate dashboard of archived calls for service.
The new dashboard has launched and periodic testing of encrypted radio service will begin Monday night. Testing will continue until April 30, 2025. All communications will be encrypted beginning May 1, 2025.