Richmond police encrypt radios, ending scanner access

For years, the Grandview Independent monitored Richmond in real time through police scanners. Reports of shootings, police chases, and helicopters circling offered details on street closures and police activity. The scanners are now offline, removing that immediate source of information for journalists and residents.

The Richmond Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across Contra Costa County in encrypting its police radio communications — a move officials say is intended to comply with state privacy guidelines, but transparency advocates warn could limit public oversight.

Assistant Chief Timothy Simmons said the department adopted encryption “to protect sensitive information and community privacy, such as domestic violence and sexual assault victims’ information,” and to comply with a 2020 California Department of Justice bulletin requiring agencies to safeguard personally identifiable and criminal justice information transmitted over public channels.

“Many agencies — RPD included — chose full-time encryption to reliably meet those requirements and reduce the risk that open-air transmissions could be misused to endanger victims, witnesses, or responding officers,” Simmons said.

The Richmond Police Department operates on the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority, a multiagency network serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Simmons said all agencies on the system must either be encrypted or unencrypted for operations to function properly.

The department’s public information officer, Lt. Donald Patchin, said Richmond made the switch on October 7 in line with other Contra Costa County agencies.

“We do not have anything in the works to allow media access,” Patchin said. “As per the new law, the personal information would have to be redacted before release. We currently have the daily bulletin in place for community members to see our calls for service.”

Simmons said the Berkeley City Council voted this week to allow the Berkeley Police Department to encrypt its radio channels as well.

Media and transparency advocates have expressed concern that full encryption could limit public oversight in Richmond and other cities.

Ginny LaRoe, advocacy director for the First Amendment Coalition, said the move could have broader consequences. The First Amendment Coalition is a California-based organization that advocates for press freedom and open government.

“Berkeley City Council was required to act if it wanted to give the police the authority to move to encryption. Specifically, it had to vote to repeal a 2021 resolution preventing full encryption in order to move forward,” LaRoe said.

“Silencing police scanners hurts newsgathering, hinders police oversight, and ultimately leaves the community less informed. Police already have the tools to keep sensitive information off the public channels, as they have for decades, and we encourage Richmond and other agencies to reconsider a more transparent approach that preserves public access to general channels,” LaRoe said.

The coalition argued that police radio access allows journalists and the public to monitor emergencies, assess response efforts, and provide independent oversight of police actions.

“While we appreciate there may be staffing or resource issues that pose challenges,” LaRoe said, “the solution to what appear to be imminently solvable issues should not be blanket secrecy.”

The department has not indicated any plans to establish media access or delayed broadcast systems similar to those used in other California cities. Simmons said the department “remains committed to transparency” and will continue sharing information through press releases and community updates.

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