Eric Garner 2014: Scanner Access and Police Accountability

The Pre-Encryption Era

In 2014, NYPD operated on open radio frequencies that anyone could monitor. This wasn't unusual—it had been the norm for generations. New York City journalists, community monitors, and ordinary citizens had long listened to police scanners to understand what was happening in their neighborhoods and city.

This open access created an ecosystem of awareness:

• News assignment desks monitored scanners to dispatch photographers and reporters to breaking events
• Community organizations tracked police activity in their neighborhoods
• Copwatch groups mobilized to document police interactions
• Independent journalists could follow police activity without official access
• Civil rights attorneys monitored for potential misconduct cases

This ecosystem meant that when significant police incidents occurred, there was rapid, independent awareness outside of official channels.

The Accountability Difference

The Eric Garner case became one of the most significant police accountability moments in recent American history. The phrase "I can't breathe"—Garner's words during the incident—became a rallying cry for police reform movements nationwide.

The extensive coverage and public discourse that followed was enabled, in part, by the open information environment that existed in 2014:

The Decade Since

In the ten years between Eric Garner's death and NYPD's encryption in 2024, the department had many opportunities to point to cases where scanner access endangered officers or operations. They found none that justified encryption.

When NYPD finally encrypted in 2024, they did so without producing evidence that open radio had caused specific harms. Meanwhile, the benefits of open access—demonstrated in cases like Eric Garner—were well documented.

Broader Implications

The Eric Garner case illustrates a pattern that has played out across the country: the very moments that spark public demand for police accountability are also the moments that demonstrate why scanner access matters.

• Ferguson, 2014: Scanner access helped journalists cover police response to protests
• Baltimore, 2015: Open radio provided context during Freddie Gray protests
• Minneapolis, 2020: Scanner monitoring continued during George Floyd protests

In each case, open scanner access provided independent information that contributed to public understanding of police activity. As more departments encrypt, this independent information source disappears.

The Accountability We're Losing

What encryption eliminates from public discourse

Police departments that encrypt their communications often frame the choice as a technical or security decision. But the Eric Garner case demonstrates that it's fundamentally an accountability decision.

When police radios are encrypted:

• The public's ability to independently understand police activity is eliminated
• Journalists must rely on official statements rather than real-time information
• Community monitoring becomes impossible
• Historical records of communications are controlled solely by police
• Accountability coverage is delayed and diminished

These are not abstract concerns. They are the concrete mechanisms that enabled comprehensive coverage of incidents like Eric Garner's death. Without open scanner access, future cases will unfold in an information environment controlled entirely by police.

Honoring the Legacy

Eric Garner's death sparked a movement and changed how millions of Americans think about policing. Part of what made that possible was the open information environment that allowed journalists, community members, and civil rights advocates to document, verify, and discuss what happened.

As we remember Eric Garner and work toward the accountability reforms his case inspired, we should also protect the tools that enable that accountability—including public access to police radio communications.