From the Sky-Hi News:
The Grand County Communications Center announced that, effective May 22, countywide public safety radio communications, including law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, will transition to an encrypted radio platform.
This change is being implemented to enhance responder safety, protect sensitive information and reduce the risk of public safety radio traffic being misused, misinterpreted or shared without context, the sheriff’s office said in a May 20 press release.
“Public safety radio systems are used every day to coordinate emergency response, share incident information, request resources, and protect the safety of residents, visitors, and first responders,” the release said. “During these transmissions, responders may need to communicate sensitive details, including names, addresses, medical information, vehicle information, victim or witness information, tactical response details, and officer or responder locations.”
In the past, the sheriff’s office said it has seen alleged perpetrators use police scanners to avoid law enforcement, interfere with emergency response or determine the location and movement of officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and other responders. Although concerns about first responder safety and residents’ privacy have long existed, more recently the proliferation of AI public scanners has led to new issues.
“In recent years, publicly accessible radio traffic has increasingly been rebroadcast through online scanner feeds, mobile applications, and AI-enabled monitoring platforms,” the release stated. “Some platforms advertise real-time alerts, automated summaries, and live AI transcription of public safety radio traffic.
“While these tools may appear convenient, automated transcription and interpretation are not always accurate, particularly when radio traffic includes background noise, overlapping transmissions, emergency terminology, abbreviations, street names, or rapidly changing incident details. Inaccurate or incomplete information shared publicly can create confusion, spread misinformation, compromise active emergency responses, and negatively impact victims, witnesses, and families before official information is confirmed.”
Multiple police departments across the U.S. have warned about AI-powered crime radar apps that generate misleading alerts by routinely mishearing addresses, failing to distinguish between domestic calls and random kidnappings, and publishing sensationalized blog-style posts based on incomplete, preliminary chatter.
The office offered an example from Bend, Oregon where an AI scanner app monitoring police dispatch mistook an officer’s mention over the radio of a “Shop with a Cop” charity event for “shot with a cop”. The app published a false alert suggesting an officer had been shot in the line of duty, creating significant panic for families and the community.
In Frederick, Colorado, an AI app pushed out a public alert warning residents about a major “commercial blaze” downtown. The AI had overheard radio traffic from a local fire department conducting a structural fire training drill and reported it as an active emergency.
Then in Mount Vernon, Missouri, an AI bot monitoring police frequencies interpreted a deputy stating “I’m out at the elementary school” as “shots at the elementary school”. The app sent out a false active shooting alert to parents before law enforcement intervened to dispel the rumor.
“Encryption will help protect the integrity of emergency communications while reducing the risk that sensitive information could be used for fraud, identity theft, harassment, retaliation, or other criminal activity,” the office stated. “The transition is also intended to safeguard personal and medical information shared during emergency calls and to support safer, more effective response across Grand County.”
In accordance with a Colorado law that addresses the public broadcasting of governmental radio communications and requires law enforcement agencies that encrypt all radio communications to create a communications access policy in collaboration with Colorado-based media outlets, the Communications Center will provide Sky-Hi News with a designated radio for its newsroom.
This radio will allow continued access to the primary public safety dispatch channel, subject to applicable media-access agreements, credentialing, operational safeguards and restrictions on the rebroadcast or misuse of sensitive information.
“Colorado law specifically contemplates media access to primary dispatch channels through radio receivers, scanners, or other feasible technology, and allows reasonable restrictions and credential verification as part of that access policy,” the office said. “This radio is being provided in good faith to preserve transparency and support responsible reporting while also protecting victims, patients, witnesses, responders, and active emergency operations.
“The Communications Center will continue to follow applicable provisions of the Colorado Open Records Act and the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, which provide separate processes for requesting public and criminal justice records.”
While the encryption change will affect general public access to live radio traffic for Grand County public safety communications, it will not change how residents request emergency assistance. Community members should continue to call 911 for emergencies and 970-725-3311 for non-emergency public safety assistance.