Share your story
Your account is evidence officials can't ignore
When officials insist "no one uses scanners," the best rebuttal isn't a chart — it's a parent describing a school lockdown, a firefighter explaining a near-miss, a reporter showing exactly when their coverage fell apart. Send us yours.
Why your story matters
Officials dismiss statistics. They can't dismiss lived experience.
A parent's text to their child during a school shooting, a fire captain's account of a coordination failure, a reporter's before-and-after on response times — those accounts change votes in ways a data sheet never does.
Stories we're looking for
Accounts in any of these categories add to the public record
Scanner saved my life or family
Did real-time scanner information help you evacuate, take shelter, or make a decision during an emergency? These accounts directly refute the claim that scanners have no public benefit.
- School lockdown awareness
- Evacuation decisions during shootings
- Chemical spill or hazmat alerts
- Weather emergency coordination
Journalist who lost access
Are you a reporter, photojournalist, or news producer affected by encryption? Tell us how your coverage changed, before and after.
- Breaking news response times
- Story angles you can no longer cover
- Public accountability stories you missed
- Pressure from editors about delayed coverage
Fire/EMS professional
First responders deal with real interoperability problems when police encrypt. Council members and legislators pay attention when firefighters and paramedics speak up.
- Scene safety information gaps
- Coordination failures at multi-agency incidents
- Equipment and training impacts
- Near-miss incidents due to communication gaps
Accountability witness
Did scanner access document something officials later denied? Have you seen an official account contradicted by what was actually on the radio?
- Discrepancies between scanner audio and official statements
- Response time concerns documented via scanner
- Officer conduct captured on radio
- Cover-up attempts exposed by recordings
Business owner impact
Businesses use scanner access for security decisions and employee safety. If encryption changed how you operate, we want to know.
- Security protocol changes
- Delivery routing decisions
- Employee safety during incidents
- Customer communication challenges
Community member
If your experience doesn't fit the categories above, that's fine. Tell us how scanner access — or losing it — has affected you or your neighborhood.
- Neighborhood watch coordination
- Senior citizen safety awareness
- Disability accessibility concerns
- General community safety information
Community voices
Accounts from people affected by police radio encryption
"During the Highland Park shooting, I was able to text my daughter exactly where the shooter was and which direction to run. The scanner saved her life."- Parent, Highland Park IL
"I covered breaking news for 15 years using scanner access. Now I arrive 30 minutes late to every scene. We're not doing journalism anymore - we're doing stenography."- Local TV Reporter, California
"When police encrypted, we lost situational awareness at multi-agency incidents. At a recent structure fire, we didn't know PD had evacuated residents until we saw them walking past us."- Fire Captain, Midwest
"A chemical spill closed streets near my kids' school. With the scanner, I knew in 90 seconds. Without it, I would have waited an hour for official notification."- Mother of Three, Texas
"The Uvalde radio recordings exposed the truth when officials lied. Scanner audio is the last line of accountability. That's exactly why they want to encrypt it."- Civil Rights Advocate
"I'm deaf. Text-based scanner apps gave me emergency awareness I never had before. Encryption took that away with no replacement."- Disability Rights Advocate
These voices changed minds. Yours can too.
How to reach us
Pick whatever method works for you
Email us
Write to our editorial team directly. Share as much or as little as you're comfortable with.
stories@policeradioencryption.comWe'll follow up within 48 hours to discuss how to feature your story.
Submission form
Our short form walks you through the details that tend to make accounts most useful to policymakers.
Submit via FormEstimated time: 10-15 minutes
Social media
Post publicly and tag us. We share accounts that add to the conversation.
Public posts may be featured on our site with credit.
What makes a useful account
Do Include
- Specific date, time, and location (if comfortable)
- What you heard or learned from the scanner
- What action you took based on that information
- What would have happened without scanner access
- How encryption has changed your experience (if applicable)
Feel Free to Omit
- Your full name (anonymous stories welcome)
- Exact address or identifying details
- Sensitive information about victims or minors
- Anything that makes you uncomfortable
Your privacy, your control
You decide what gets published and how you're identified
Anonymity options
You can appear as fully anonymous, first name only, profession only, or with full attribution.
Review before publishing
We send you the final version before it goes live. You can request changes or pull it entirely.
No data sharing
Your contact information stays with us. We only use it to follow up on your submission.
How accounts are used
Published on this site, shared on social media, included in advocacy materials, and potentially cited in press coverage of encryption issues.
One account can shift the vote
Community testimony helped reverse encryption in Palo Alto. In many other cities, encryption went through without a fight because no one organized in time. The difference is usually a handful of people who showed up and spoke plainly about what they'd lost.