Superior Police Get New Radios to Help Fight Crime
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 8:56pm
FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT
SUPERIOR - The Superior Police Department is in the process of going digital with its two–way radios to help fight crime.
The current radios are analog and open to anyone with a scanner, including suspects.
Police Chief Charles Lagesse says digital radios allow officers to encrypt communication from the public for specific investigations like an armed stand–off or search warrant.
"Scanners are readily available to the public and in todays smart phones, there's applications that can make any smart phone a scanner – so it's even more important we be able to encrypt that data so that we have some operational security," said Lagesse.
A port security grant has allowed the police department to purchase 20 digital radios already.
They still need another 65.
The Superior Fire Department is also in the process of switching from analog to digital with the help of grants.