Police Commission gets earful on police radio encryption

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Keith Webb, left, of Manchester, addresses the issue of police radio encryption during the October Manchester Police Commissioners meeting.
Keith Webb, left, of Manchester, and Jeffrey Hastings, seated next to him, of Merrimack, address the issue of police radio encryption during the October Manchester Police Commissioners meeting.

MANCHESTER, NH – Conversation around police radio encryption continued for the second month in a row during the Oct. 5 meeting of the Manchester Police Commission.

Keith Webb of Manchester came to urge the commissioners to reevaluate the decision to go with full encryption. He prefaced his comments by saying he was a retired media professional, a lifelong recreational scanner listener, and a graduate of the police department’s Citizens Police Academy.

Webb said his key concerns were with issues of transparency, and the perception of a public disconnect between police and the community, especially given “the world we live in today.”

He said that while he understands there’s no obligation for a police department to have unencrypted transmissions, it’s the perception of secrecy that arises when radio transmissions have gone silent.

“When I hear someone wants to close up and not talk about something, I’m suspect – for example, if you were to pull me over tonight, and I said no you can’t go in my glove compartment, you’re going to think there’s something in my glove compartment I don’t want you to see. I don’t think you’re hiding anything, but I think that perception is out there,” Webb said. “It’s important for police to get along with the community and be closer – not separated. I think encrypting separates.”

Also there to address the issue was photojournalist Jeffrey Hastings, who first brought up the matter at the September commissioners meeting. He said he wanted to offer some observations from his perspective in the month since police switched over to the new encrypted system. He said he’d like to see solutions that would allow for more information to be disseminated through the media in a timely manner. Hastings operates Manchester Information, a Facebook page that relies heavily on police and fire calls.

Hastings brought up two recent incidents involving deployment of the police Bearcat, and a shooting incident in which a suspect had reportedly fled the scene, noting that police in his opinion were slow to respond to media inquiries about police presence in all three cases.

“I think anyone in the room, public or appointed officials or members of law enforcement, if you looked out window and you saw crime scene tape or Bearcat, you’d call Chief Willard or Capano, or the [Officer in Charge] as ask what’s happening,” Hastings said.

Although response to public comment is not typical during public meetings, Police Commissioner Scott Spradling noted that the conversation within the police department about the issue is ongoing. He said police administration is considering ways to better leverage personnel along with existing technologies, including Nixle and social media, to make sure the public and media receive more timely information.

In other police news:

  • Chief Nick Willard also briefly addressed the “significant budgetary challenges” ahead based on the recent ratification of a three-year contract with the Patrolman’s Association. Willard cited a $300,000 shortfall due to flat funding, but vowed that there would be no layoffs and that he would continue to fill vacancies to keep officers on the streets.
  • Willard briefed the commissioners on his recent trip to Quantico, VA, where he met with the head of DEA. He reports that Manchester has been chosen as a DEA 360 Degree Strategy city, a comprehensive law enforcement and preventative measure with an emphasis on education, to assist cities dealing with the heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic. Manchester is one of eight cities in the U.S. with this designation. Willard said one of the components will bring together students for a “robust discussion” around the dangers of heroin and opioid abuse, likely in a large venue such as the SNHU Arena.
  • Lt. Nicole Ledoux will be honored Oct. 26 at Southern New Hampshire University as one of two recipients of the Susan B. Anthony Award during the YWCA’s annual celebration of those in the community who exemplify advocacy and hope for women in crisis. Lt. Ledoux has worked as a patrol officer, community police officer, school resource officer and a Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation investigator. She currently is the Supervising Lieutenant of the Juvenile Investigative Unit and the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigative Unit, and serves on the Attorney General’s Task force On Child Abuse and Neglect and the New Hampshire Task force on Human Trafficking. She is also the Executive Board Member at Granite State Children’s Alliance (Child Advocacy Centers), the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester and is a  Pediatric Advisory Board member for the Mary and John Elliot Foundation at Elliot Hospital. Tickets for the event are available online through the YWCA.
  • Capt. Maureen Tessier updated the commission on the city’s ongoing challenge when it comes to sex offender compliance checks, noting that there have been 1,784 sex offender registrations so far in 2016. Grant funding from the U.S. Marshals Service has made a difference in providing resources to assist officers with compliance checks.

The next scheduled police commissioner meeting will be Nov. 2.

 

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!