70+ Years of Openness—Then 2020
For seven decades, police radio communications were openly accessible to the public. Then came 2020, and everything changed. This timeline shows how we got from the first police radio to the encryption explosion—and what it reveals about real motivations.
The Timeline Tells a Story
If scanner access genuinely endangered officers, we would expect to see a steady push for encryption throughout police radio history. Instead, we see 70+ years of unconcerned openness, followed by a dramatic acceleration precisely when public scrutiny of policing intensified.
The timeline below makes one thing clear: the encryption push isn't about officer safety. It's about accountability evasion, and the timing proves it.
The Complete Timeline
First Police Radio System
Detroit Police Department installs first one-way police radio system. Officers can receive dispatches but not respond.
Two-Way Police Radio Emerges
Bayonne, NJ implements first two-way police radio system. Officers can now communicate in both directions—and so can anyone with a receiver.
Police Scanners Go Mainstream
Post-war electronics boom makes radio receivers affordable. Citizens begin monitoring police frequencies as a hobby. No serious concerns about public access emerge.
The Golden Age of Scanners
Portable transistor scanners become widely available. Police departments across America operate openly, with communities monitoring for safety and information.
Electronic Communications Privacy Act
Federal law establishes legal framework for electronic communications but explicitly permits monitoring of unencrypted radio transmissions.
LA Riots: Scanner Coverage
During the Los Angeles riots, scanner monitoring provides crucial real-time information to journalists and residents. Open radio access enables extensive coverage of police response.
Digital Radio Transition Begins
Departments begin transitioning from analog to digital systems. Encryption becomes technically feasible but is rarely implemented.
Columbine School Shooting
During the Columbine tragedy, scanner access enables real-time news coverage and helps families locate information. No calls for encryption follow despite the high-profile incident.
Post-9/11 Security Concerns
September 11 attacks prompt security reviews. Some agencies cite terrorism concerns for encryption, but widespread adoption does not follow.
Hurricane Katrina
Scanner monitoring proves critical during Katrina disaster response. Open communications enable coordination and media coverage of the largest natural disaster response in US history.
P25 Standard Adoption
APCO Project 25 digital radio standard gains traction. Includes encryption capability, but many departments implement P25 without activating encryption.
Flight 1549 "Miracle on Hudson"
Scanner audio of Coast Guard and emergency response to the Hudson River plane landing is broadcast worldwide. Open communications enable real-time documentation of the rescue.
Boston Marathon Bombing
Scanner access enables live coverage of the bombing aftermath and manhunt. Millions listen to police communications during the Watertown lockdown. Despite intense scrutiny, no encryption push follows.
Eric Garner & Ferguson
High-profile police accountability incidents. NYPD radio remains open, enabling independent documentation. Ferguson protests see extensive scanner monitoring. Accountability movements gain momentum.
California Highway Patrol Encrypts
CHP becomes one of first major statewide agencies to fully encrypt. Sets precedent for California law enforcement.
LAPD Goes Dark
Los Angeles Police Department completes full encryption—largest US city to do so. Decision made with minimal public input. Media protests go unheeded.
The Encryption Explosion
Following George Floyd protests and nationwide police scrutiny, encryption proposals accelerate dramatically. Dozens of departments cite "officer safety" while implementing encryption.
Major Cities Fall
Denver, San Jose, San Diego, and other major departments complete encryption. Chicago implements 30-minute delays. Pattern of urban encryption becomes clear.
Highland Park & Uvalde
Highland Park shooting demonstrates scanner access saving lives. Uvalde shows communication failures during crisis. Both events highlight what's lost with encryption.
NYPD Goes Dark
NYPD completes $390 million encryption project, ending 92 years of open radio in America's largest city. Governor Hochul vetoes media access legislation. NYC Council fights back with Int. 1460.
The Battleground
Encryption continues expanding nationwide. Resistance movements grow stronger. Palo Alto successfully reverses encryption. State legislatures consider access requirements. The fight for transparency intensifies.
Understanding the Eras
The Open Era (1921-2018)
~97 yearsFrom the first police radio through nearly a century of technological evolution, police communications remained publicly accessible. Departments operated on the assumption that transparency was normal—even beneficial.
- No pattern of officers harmed by scanner monitoring
- Citizens routinely monitored for safety information
- Media covered breaking news in real-time
- Community policing flourished with open communications
The Transition (2014-2019)
~5 yearsFollowing Ferguson and increased police accountability movements, early adopters began implementing encryption. LAPD's 2019 decision marked a watershed moment for major urban departments.
- Ferguson protests increase scanner monitoring
- Body camera debates highlight accountability concerns
- California Highway Patrol encrypts statewide (2018)
- LAPD becomes largest encrypted city (2019)
The Encryption Era (2020-Present)
OngoingThe George Floyd protests and nationwide police scrutiny triggered an explosion of encryption proposals. The timing makes the motivation transparent: departments encrypted precisely when accountability pressure peaked.
- Dozens of departments announce encryption post-Floyd
- "Officer safety" cited despite no new evidence
- Major cities fall in rapid succession
- Resistance movements begin forming
The Question No One Answers
If scanners endangered officers before 2020, why didn't departments encrypt before 2020?
The encryption argument rests on officer safety. Proponents claim that criminals use scanners to track and harm officers. But this claim has a fatal flaw: timing.
Encryption has been technically feasible since the 1990s. Digital radio systems with encryption capability have been available for decades. If encryption were truly necessary for officer safety, departments would have prioritized it long ago.
Scanners work the same way they did in 1950. The technology hasn't become more dangerous. What changed was public attention to policing—particularly after high-profile incidents captured on video.
Encryption proposals spiked after Ferguson (2014), after LAPD controversies (2019), and especially after George Floyd (2020). This pattern correlates with accountability pressure, not with any change in criminal scanner use.
The timeline answers the question departments don't want asked: encryption is about escaping scrutiny, not protecting officers. The post-2020 surge makes this unmistakably clear.
What History Teaches Us
Open Radio Worked
For nearly a century, open police radio supported effective law enforcement. Departments solved crimes, maintained order, and protected communities—all while the public could listen. The claim that encryption is necessary contradicts seven decades of successful open operation.
Transparency Builds Trust
The era of open communications was also an era of generally higher public trust in policing. Communities felt connected to their police through shared awareness. Encryption severs that connection precisely when trust needs rebuilding.
Timing Reveals Motive
The explosion of encryption proposals after 2020 isn't coincidental. Departments that operated openly for decades suddenly found encryption urgent—right when accountability pressure reached historic levels. The timing is the evidence.
The Trend Can Reverse
History also shows that policy decisions can change. Some communities have successfully resisted encryption. Others have implemented alternatives. The encryption trend is not inevitable—if communities push back.
The History Isn't Written Yet
We're living through a historic shift in police transparency. The decisions made now will shape public access for generations. The trend toward encryption isn't inevitable—it's a policy choice that communities can challenge and reverse.
Use the lessons of history to inform the fights of today. Show your community that open communications worked for 70 years, and there's no good reason to end them now.
Learn How to Fight Back