St. Joseph scanner channels go dark as departments move to encryption

Yahoo

03-07-2025

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Public access to the scanner in St. Joseph will be removed as the city transitions to encrypted radio channels.
According to Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett, the change is being made primarily to comply with legal requirements aimed at protecting the personal identifiable information of citizens.
Broadcasting this information over open channels would violate state and federal laws.
'Abducted children, sexual assault, there's a variety of crimes that have very, very sensitive, critical information that needs to be protected, said Puett. "I mean, if somebody, God forbid, was sexually assaulted, I don't think they would want their name plastered all over, open air. And then everybody knows that they're the victim of a sexual assault, or their child has been abducted.'
The transition aligns with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) regulations, which establish strict security standards for handling, transmitting, storing, and securing criminal justice information.
These regulations are designed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data used by law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies.
Officer safety is also a factor in the move, following national incidents where responders were targeted after their movements were tracked in real time.
'I like the fact that we're able to protect our citizens. That's first and foremost is that's what we're here to do, is we're here to serve and protect our citizens," said Puett. So it is a critical factor in that we are able to protect them, to protect the deputies and the police officers and people in law enforcement absolutely.'
This is a developing story and News-Press NOW will provide more information as it becomes available.