The Oakland Police Department is transitioning to encrypted radio channels, scheduled to begin soon, which would restrict public access to police communications. This move has sparked criticism from state officials like Sen. Josh Becker, who argues that it undermines transparency and accountability. Becker has advocated against such encryption measures, highlighting the importance of public and media access to law enforcement activities. The city claims the encryption will incur no additional costs as the necessary software is already installed on police devices, but concerns about public trust and oversight remain.
City spokesperson Sean Maher said Oakland will not incur additional costs for encrypting its radios, because the officers' devices are already equipped with the needed software.
Senator Becker stated, 'This is a negative... we want access for journalists, we want access for the public... it's a loss for journalism.'
Collection
[
|
...
]