LYNCHBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – The Lynchburg Police Department is taking steps to improve safety and security by encrypting its radio transmissions.

LPD says encryption of radio transmissions is intended to keep officers and the public safe, while protecting personal information. It’s a trend they say is being seen in police departments across the country, and officials believe it’s the right move for Lynchburg.

“We’ve witnessed times ourselves where we’re going to apprehend an individual, and they have a scanner app. They know what we do and how we respond,” said John Hartzell, public information officer for the Lynchburg Police Department.

Hartzell says officer safety is one of the main reasons for this decision.

“Safely protecting our position becomes very difficult when the person inside a barricade situation knows our every move,” Hartzell said.

The second reason? Protection of sensitive information. Hartzell says personal information such as addresses, phone numbers and even social security numbers are often shared via radio communications.

“Our officers can go on the radio and have to divulge a lot of information. This is a way to protect our residents, and we’re not just talking about criminals. Even people who drive through a stop sign also need to protect their information,” Hartzell said.

Although encryption will limit access to live police radio traffic, LPD says it is not about reducing transparency. The information will always be available via their computer-aided dispatch system, or CAD.

“The website gives you an approximate location, nature of the crime, start time and end time,” Hartzell said.

Hartzell says scanner users will lose access to some tactical operations updates, but believes the CAD system offers more detailed information overall.

Full implementation is expected in December, although no exact date has been set.

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