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Fairfax County police are preparing to encrypt their eight primary dispatch channels, restricting public access to radio traffic that can include names, addresses, Social Security numbers and real-time details about alleged suspects.
Department officials presented the plan Tuesday to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Safety and Security Committee. Maj. Brendan Hooke said several factors now require the agency to better protect community members and prevent sensitive moments from being redistributed as entertainment.
The Fairfax County Police Department currently operates eight main channels monitored by dispatchers, with each channel roughly corresponding to a police district. Officers also use several side channels, some of which are already encrypted for specialized units, informal conversations and elevated events such as barricade incidents.
Under the proposal, listeners would need a cryptographic key to access the eight dispatch channels. Those frequencies are regularly used to coordinate calls for service and broadcast information such as a stolen vehicle’s location or the description of an alleged suspect.
Hooke warned that unencrypted transmissions could allow criminals to collect personal information for identity theft, fraud, scams, harassment or bullying. He also said details from police incidents are increasingly reposted online and spread through social media.
“We are potentially contributing to new victims: people that call us,” Hooke said. He added that residents should not have to fear that information shared during a police call could be broadcast permanently to a worldwide audience.
The proposal would leave some communications open. Automatic dispatch transmissions containing preliminary call information and other informal coordination channels would not be included in the current encryption plan.
Maj. Dana Ferreira said the department remains committed to transparency but also has an obligation to protect the community. She described the transition as a slow and deliberate process that will unfold in phases over several months.
Once the change takes effect, Fairfax County will join multiple regional law enforcement agencies that already encrypt some or all radio transmissions. Those agencies include police departments in Arlington and Prince William counties, the Virginia State Police and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Hooke said radio traffic can include data covered by privacy rules such as HIPAA and FERPA, which protect health and student information, respectively. He said the department would rather act proactively than wait until regulations potentially force a change.
Police officials said information will continue to be released through social media, briefings about major incidents, Freedom of Information Act requests and the department’s online open-data portal.