Depending on where you live in our state, your police scanner might not live up to its name.
There is a growing trend among local police departments to encrypt their transmissions, or use a digital format that can't be received on scanners.
The main reason most departments give for scrambling is officer safety, and the growing popularity of scanner applications on smartphones.
The iPhone, for example, offers more than 30 different downloadable apps that turn the phone into a virtual streaming radio scanner.
In the small town of Middlebury, police this year replaced their antiquated low band radios with a digital high band system, and recently made the decision to encrypt after a burglary suspect was caught carrying a police scanner.
The police chief reportedly cited "safety reasons and tactical purposes" for the change.
Fire Chief Paul Perrotti says that decision is causing headaches for his department because firefighters can no longer hear police transmissions from emergency scenes, where cops sometimes arrive first.
In Meriden, the local newspaper is among those questioning the need for scrambling.
Meriden police, operating a new $1.8 million Tait Communications system, have announced plans to encrypt their transmissions in the near future, although they are still being sent in the clear.
Dan Ivers, a reporter for the Meriden Record-Journal, said many residents are perplexed by the decision to take away public access during a time when the department is being investigated for allegedly covering up crimes and misconduct by officers.
"Many seem to think there should be a balance found that can provide police with the ability to encrypt when necessary, but that the majority of transmissions should remain public," he said.
Encryption will also limit the ability of local media to know what's going on, and report it to the public in a timely manner, Ivers said.
In Torrington, police have begun using a proprietary radio system that can't be monitored on scanners.
The largest city in Litchfield County gave up its 800 MHz system in favor of Kenwood NexEdge radios that use a non-standard digital protocol. They are not compatible with the common APCO P25 digital systems, which are now considered the U.S. standard for police interoperability.
NexEdge is mostly used by businesses and colleges, but by very few law enforcement agencies in the U.S.
Torrington police and the local newspaper, the Register-Citizen, each declined to comment about the encrypted signals.
Jeff Zeiner, news director of local radio station WZBG, would only say his station has a good working relationship with Torrington police, and declined to address the scanner issue.
Debate over the public's right to listen has cropped up sporadically nationwide.
In Washington D.C., media outlets including the Washington Post and the Associated Press are working against the District's switch to encrypted communications.
In a report published in "The Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press," D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier attributed the policy to technical advancements, and the development of mobile phone applications that "allow criminals to easily listen and put officers at risk."
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