Baltimore Police Scanner: From Freddie Gray to Full Encryption
Baltimore has been under federal oversight for police misconduct since 2017. In July 2023, despite a consent decree requiring transparency reforms, the state's largest police agency encrypted its radios, cutting off community watchdogs and journalists. The move came as the city's crime rate was finally dropping.
Key facts at a glance
The context: a city under federal oversight
Baltimore's encryption decision makes no sense without the prior decade of federal intervention.
Freddie Gray dies in police custody
25-year-old Freddie Gray suffers a fatal spinal injury while being transported in a police van. His death sparks the largest protests Baltimore has seen in decades, with property damage, a state of emergency, and National Guard deployment.
DOJ opens investigation
The Department of Justice begins investigating the Baltimore Police Department's patterns and practices, eventually finding widespread civil rights violations.
DOJ report released
DOJ finds Baltimore police regularly violated constitutional rights of Black residents through unlawful stops, searches, arrests, and racial discrimination. The report documents excessive force and systemic misconduct.
Consent decree signed
Baltimore enters a legally binding agreement with DOJ requiring sweeping police reforms across 18 areas, with federal monitoring and independent oversight.
@ScanThePolice launches
Following George Floyd's murder, Caitlin Goldblatt launches the Scan the Police Twitter account, live-tweeting Baltimore police scanner transmissions. The account quickly gains followers and exposes how much police activity doesn't require armed response.
Encryption plans announced
BPD announces plans to encrypt communications. ACLU of Maryland calls it "a gigantic step backwards." Plans are delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Encryption goes live
Baltimore Police switches to encrypted radio systems, becoming the largest agency in Maryland to delay public communications. Real-time scanner access ends.
The irony: encryption under a transparency mandate
Baltimore is under a federal consent decree that requires transparency reforms. The DOJ documented systematic constitutional violations. The same department, still under federal monitoring, then eliminated one of the public's few tools for watching police activity in real time.
Consent decree says
"BPD will implement community policing initiatives that promote... transparency and accountability."
BPD did
Encrypted all radio communications, blocking real-time public oversight of police activity.
As of 2025, 15 sections of the consent decree remain active. The department reached compliance in some areas, including how detainees are transported, which was the exact issue in Freddie Gray's case. Fundamental reforms are still incomplete. The department encrypted anyway.
Scan the Police: the watchdog they silenced
In June 2020, as protests spread after George Floyd's murder, a Twitter account called @ScanThePolice started live-tweeting Baltimore police scanner traffic. Caitlin Goldblatt ran it, and it became a genuine resource for understanding what police were actually doing on the ground.
What Scan the Police revealed
- How much police activity didn't actually require armed response
- Discrepancies between official statements and real-time communications
- Patterns in how different neighborhoods were policed
- Response times and resource allocation decisions
David Rocah, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Maryland, called the account "incredibly useful and important" for showing how policing actually works on the ground.
"We thought it's only a matter of time before cops decide it's a problem."— Caitlin Goldblatt, Scan the Police founder, on learning of encryption plans
The encryption announcement came just months after Scan the Police launched. BPD said the timing was coincidental, citing equipment upgrades that had been planned before 2020. Advocates pointed out the contradiction: the department was claiming to rebuild community trust while eliminating one of the few real-time oversight tools the community had.
How Baltimore's 15-minute delay works
Baltimore stopped short of a full blackout. The department runs a 15-minute delayed feed through Broadcastify. That sounds like a compromise, but it removes most of what makes scanner access useful.
Breaking news
A shooting that's "breaking news" at minute 1 is old news by minute 15. Journalists arrive at scenes after they've concluded.
Active threats
During an active shooter or dangerous pursuit, 15 minutes is the difference between warning people and documenting history.
Real-time oversight
Accounts like @ScanThePolice can't provide immediate documentation. By the time the audio releases, the narrative is already set.
Community safety
Neighbors can't warn each other about nearby incidents. The information arrives after decisions have already been made.
Media access: selective transparency
BPD stated that "established media outlets" who sign a memorandum of understanding would receive equipment for scanner access. However, this creates a two-tiered system where the department decides who qualifies as "established media"—explicitly excluding community watchdogs like Scan the Police.
The opposition: who spoke out
ACLU of Maryland
David Rocah called the encryption plan "a gigantic step backwards" in terms of police transparency and accountability, especially for a department under federal consent decree.
Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle
Adam Jackson, CEO of the grassroots think tank, said the move was "deeply concerning" and conflicted with recent police accountability legislation in Maryland.
Radio Television Digital News Association
RTDNA president Dan Shelley called radio encryption his organization's "biggest issue" in 2023, noting that departments are "using whatever excuse they can find to become much more secretive."
Community watchdogs
Volunteers who monitored and documented police activity—including Scan the Police's approximately 20 volunteers—lost their ability to provide real-time public accountability.
Baltimore's crime and trust crisis
Baltimore has dealt with high violent crime and strained police-community relations for years. That history is what made the encryption decision so contested.
Crime context
- Baltimore recorded 348 homicides in 2019—near-record levels
- 2023-2024 saw historic declines: 201 homicides in 2024 (lowest since 2011)
- Non-fatal shootings dropped 34% between 2023-2024
- Encryption implemented as crime was finally declining
Trust context
- Freddie Gray's 2015 death sparked massive unrest
- DOJ found systemic constitutional violations
- Federal consent decree requires transparency reforms
- Community distrust remains high
The question that matters
If Baltimore's crime rates were finally improving and the department was making progress on consent decree reforms, why did officials choose that moment to cut public oversight? The timing doesn't point to safety. It points to control.
Impact on local journalism
Baltimore's local news ecosystem was already under strain before encryption. The combination of reduced scanner access and newsroom cuts has left the city with real blind spots.
Baltimore Sun decline
The Sun's newsroom shrank from approximately 450 journalists to about 70-80. Buyouts and departures took decades of institutional knowledge. The paper was purchased by Sinclair executive David D. Smith in 2024, with at least 20 journalists leaving citing concerns about editorial direction.
Coverage gaps
With fewer reporters and no real-time scanner access, incidents that would previously receive immediate coverage may now go unreported or be covered only through official police statements.
Delayed response
The 15-minute delay means journalists arrive at scenes after they've concluded, dependent on official narratives rather than independent observation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Baltimore Police encrypt their radio communications?
Baltimore Police Department officially switched to encrypted radio systems on July 6, 2023. The department now provides a 15-minute delayed feed through Broadcastify instead of real-time access.
Can I still listen to Baltimore police scanner?
You can listen to Baltimore police communications with a 15-minute delay through Broadcastify. Real-time access is no longer available to the public. Media outlets with signed memoranda of understanding may receive equipment for access, but the public cannot hear live transmissions.
Why did Baltimore encrypt police radios?
Baltimore Police cited officer safety, interoperability, and equipment upgrades. Critics note the timing: the decision came after the George Floyd protests and the rapid growth of accountability accounts like Scan the Police, suggesting reducing public oversight was at least part of the calculation.
What happened to Scan the Police Baltimore?
The @scanthepolice Twitter account, which began live-tweeting Baltimore police scanner transmissions in June 2020, was effectively shut down when the department encrypted communications in July 2023. The account had exposed police activity that didn't require armed responses and was described by the ACLU as 'incredibly useful and important.'
Is Baltimore still under a DOJ consent decree?
Yes. Baltimore has been under a federal consent decree since 2017 following the death of Freddie Gray and a DOJ investigation that found systemic racial bias and excessive force. As of 2025, 15 sections of the consent decree remain active, though the department has achieved compliance in some areas.
How does Baltimore's encryption compare to other cities?
Baltimore's 15-minute delay is shorter than Chicago's 30-minute delay but still eliminates real-time public safety awareness. Both cities made the switch after 2020 protests. Cities like Highland Park, Illinois maintain open scanners that proved critical during the 2022 mass shooting.
Take action: Baltimore resources
Here is where to direct pressure on police transparency in Baltimore:
Contact city council
Baltimore City Council has oversight of police policies. Contact your council member about encryption concerns.
Baltimore City CouncilFile FOIA requests
Request documents about the encryption decision, including any evidence of scanner-related harm and communications about media access policies.
FOIA TemplatesMonitor consent decree progress
The BPD Monitoring Team tracks consent decree compliance. Their reports may address transparency concerns.
BPD Monitoring TeamSupport local journalism
Subscribe to outlets still covering police accountability, including The Baltimore Banner and Baltimore Brew.
Sources
- Baltimore Police Department: BPD to implement timed encryption
- Baltimore Brew: Police watchdog would be silenced under encryption plan
- Fox Baltimore: Baltimore Police now encrypting, delaying radio transmissions
- CBS Baltimore: Baltimore Police will switch to new radio system
- Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle: Baltimore Police to encrypt scanner transmissions
- City of Baltimore Consent Decree
- BPD Monitoring Team
- WYPR: Baltimore sees lowest homicide rate in over a decade
Take Action for Transparency
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