The County Probation Department and the District Attorney’s Office are planning to buy over 100 new, high-tech radios to meet new State and Federal safety mandates.
County Supervisors approved some $245,000 in “unanticipated Probation Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) revenue” and another $167,000 from the Proposition 172 Trust Fund out of the Probation Department.
On the D.A.’s side, they took $237,000 from Prop. 172, for a total of over $649,000.
The plan is to buy 90 handheld radios and 18 car-mounted radios that are equipped with “modern encryption capabilities,” according to a report.
The County will buy the equipment from Motorola and will also need software licenses, a recurring cost.
What exactly is an “encrypted radio?” Encrypted radios scramble voice and data transmissions so only receivers with the correct matching security “key” can understand the signal. Anyone else listening who doesn’t have the same key will only hear static, digital noise, or silence.
Chief Probation Officer, Thomas Milder, said, “Current handheld and in-car radios utilized by both the Probation Department and Distract Attorney’s Investigators cannot transmit unique device identification data to encrypted radio channels.”
The purchase is the idea of the State Department of Justice. “This is a significant issue,” Milder said, “as in 2020, the California Department of Justice issued a memo regarding broadcasting personally identifiable information over unencrypted radio channels, mandating that such communications be encrypted.
“Lacking this capability prevents officers from having direct communication with allied agency personnel during mutual aid operations and negatively impacts their safety and that of the public. Purchasing these handheld and in-car radios will aid in the continuous effort to ensure our community’s safety is taken as the highest priority.”
Milder lists two mandates that buying the new radios will satisfy:
• The California Department of Justice mandates the protection of Criminal Justice Information (CJI) and Personal Identifying Information (PII) during transmission. Encryption is required to ensure this information is not exposed over unsecured channels.
• Federal standards under the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy require encrypted transmission of sensitive data. Upgrading to encryption-capable radios ensures full compliance with these federal regulations.
Milder said encryption blocks sensitive information from being overheard by “individuals with malicious intent” and reduces the possibility of people monitoring radio traffic.
Several local police agencies — Atascadero, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach — already use encrypted radios. “Upgrading our equipment,” Milder said, “ensures seamless, secure communication with these partner agencies during joint operations or mutual-aid events.”
