Austin public safety agencies to encrypt radio traffic [Video]

AUSTIN, Texas — First responders are here to protect and serve, do no harm and save lives. And they say restricting public access to their radio scanners is now necessary to preserve safety.

Starting Monday, the public will no longer be able to listen to scanners in Austin. The city’s public safety departments – including police, fire and EMS – are switching to an encrypted radio system.    

“We want to provide a greater layer of protection for our officers and for community members,” Austin Police Department (APD) Asst. Chief Lee Rogers said. “There’s so much information that can get put out over the radio. So, it protects and limits the availability of information that people can hear.”

Rogers said personal information – …