Wednesday, August 16, 2017
YOUNGSTOWN
The city police and fire departments today are expected to switch to a new radio system.
While the fire department’s radio traffic will be in the clear, the police department’s radio traffic will be encrypted – which means someone will need to have access to a special code and radio so they can hear police radio traffic.
Those currently monitoring police and fire calls on older scanners no longer will be able to hear the radio traffic.
The city hoped to make the switch in June, but the process stalled; however, within the last week, progress picked up dramatically, with officers receiving training on the new radios that are to go into use.
City police are joining a growing number of departments in Mahoning County that encrypt their radio traffic, including police in Boardman and Austintown and the county sheriff’s office along with Mill Creek MetroParks Police.
Read more about the matter in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.