The City of Minneapolis announced a new 911 Emergency Incidents Dashboard to keep the public informed about emergencies, just as the police department plans to encrypt its radios.
The dashboard will feature 911 calls made over the last 12 hours and their locations, as well as categorizing incidents by police, fire and Behavioral Crisis Response calls. It will be updated every 30 minutes, with 911 incidents older than 12 hours moving to a separate dashboard.
The dashboard’s creation came as the Minneapolis Police Department is set to encrypt police radios on May 1. Minneapolis 911 Director Joni Hodne said the department has tested the encrypted system for four to six hours each week for the last two weeks.
An encrypted system means police department-dispatched calls will not be heard in the City of Minneapolis on the radio. Minneapolis Fire Department dispatched calls will still be heard.
“The dramatic rise in the use of social media and scanner apps to track first responders jeopardizes emergency response operations and can lead to the spread of incomplete, inaccurate, or unsubstantiated information,” the city said in a statement. “This can cause safety concerns for first responders and the public. Encrypting communication helps ensure City compliance while providing additional safety for emergency responders and community members.”
Social media accounts like MN Crime Watchers, which have around 300,000 followers on Facebook, have gained traction by posting police updates using this method.
The dashboard’s unveiling has been in the works for over a year, Hodne said. She added that these changes come as the federal Criminal Justice Information Services, which oversees criminal justice information across local law enforcement agencies, now recommends local police agencies take steps to make information more private, including addresses, license plate numbers, warrants and medical incidents.
“Up to this point, that information has been aired and it could just get into the wrong hands and create potential problems,” Hodne said.
Public and responder safety is also a big part of the push for greater police encryption, Hodne said.
“We want to make sure that sometimes when a call comes in and changes over the course of even 15 minutes, we want to make sure the information going out is accurate and that the first responders have a chance to get on the scene and assess the situation,” Hodne said.
The dashboard will automatically update to reflect any new developments. Hodne said that it is a change people will need to adjust to, but it is even more accurate than what people hear on radio channels.
“It’s not to keep information from the public about what’s going on in their neighborhoods, which is why we did the dashboard,” Hodne said. “They can still see if there are disturbances, shootings or other information that’s taking place in their neighborhood, but it’s for the protection of the victims and the first responders.”