Mesa police began encrypting their radio communications so that only those within the department can receive messages.
The move to encrypted radio frequencies completes a yearlong effort to bring the Mesa Police Department to national standards. People can still listen to radio transmissions online but with a one-hour time delay. Assistant Chief Ed Wessing said the delay is for the safety of officers as well as public privacy.
“We’ve had cases over the years that individuals we were either searching for or we were preparing to serve search warrants to were able to monitor officers locations and timeframes, really putting them at risk when they’re doing their jobs," Wessing said.
Wessing said that streams of delayed radio traffic can be found on Mesa police's website.
