The Montgomery County Department of Police has launched a new Public Calls for Service Dashboard, providing residents and members of the media with basic information about recent police activity across the county.
The dashboard is updated every 30 minutes. Calls appear after a 30-minute delay and remain available for approximately three hours. The launch follows MCPD’s move last year to encrypt all police radio channels, including dispatch channels. The change eliminated public access to real-time police radio traffic through scanners and scanner applications.
At the time, MCPD said encryption was necessary to protect victims and witnesses, prevent sensitive personal information from being broadcast publicly and keep criminals from monitoring police tactics and investigations. The department said it had confirmed instances of individuals involved in criminal activity listening to its unencrypted channels.
MCPD also said recordings of encrypted radio traffic would continue to be retained and available through Maryland Public Information Act requests. According to the department, the new dashboard is part of its effort to provide the community and media with accessible information about police activity while maintaining the integrity of active operations and investigations.
The Public Calls for Service Dashboard is available on the MCPD website by navigating to Public Safety Data: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/montgomery-county-police-department/public-safety-data or Calls for Service Dashboard.
