The most vital citywide NYPD radio frequency went dark on Wednesday, yet another stage of the department’s ongoing radio encryption efforts. This move made it more difficult for press organizations to cover breaking news in New York City.
The NYPD encrypted much of what has put over the “Special Operations Division,” a citywide channel that guides numerous media organizations, reporters, and photographers to where major incidents are occurring. Except for three citywide channels and its transit feed, the NYPD began encrypting all of its radio traffic beginning in July 2023 in a campaign to purportedly “keep bad guys from hearing what they are doing.”
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