Chicago media grills Lightfoot for encrypting police radio transmissions
CHICAGO - Mayor Lori Lightfoot was grilled by Chicago's media Wednesday for her order to encrypt police radio transmissions, blocking them from the public and the media.
A coalition of Chicago media companies are standing together against this move, saying it seriously compromises public safety and transparency.
"What we've offered to the media organizations is a slight delay in the transmissions, and they've essentially told us, I won't say pound sand, but that's essentially what they've told us," Lightfoot said.
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Mayor Lightfoot has ordered police to encrypt their radio transmissions, only releasing them on a 30-minute delay and allowing Chicago police to scrub portions of the audio before it's broadcast.
"There's no substitute for contemporaneous, real-time transmissions, so you can send a reporter to the scene and see the situation unfold," said attorney Seven Mandell.
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The mayor's office began blocking channels without notifying the media. The mayor said it’s a means to protect the public and police.
"My team has spent a lot of time trying to talk to, explain and see that we could come to some common ground, and we were told by the media outlets, our way or no way," Ligthfoot said.
The mayor flatly refuses to meet with the media on the issue, although on Wednesday she said her door is open.
The media is asking to hear the audio, as we always have, as it happens — something Las Vegas police have offered to their media as they've encrypted their radios to the public.
"My primary responsibility as mayor is public safety, public safety, public safety," Lightfoot said.
"Think of an approaching weather disaster, an approaching tornado, a fire, a bomb threat at the airport. Just last week there was an incident where some individuals fired shots at a police station and then escaped to an area expressway. People have the right to know about what's going on, so they can take measures to make sure they're safe," Mandell said.
The mayor believes criminals used police radio transmissions during the city riots in May 2020 to elude police.