A recent upgrade to Columbia County public safety communications hardware and software included a switch from analog to more reliable digital signal and may have impacted the publicâs ability to listen in on the communications.
Chief Deputy Gregory Bisch of the Columbia County Sheriffâs Office said they are âin the process of switching overâ but a few loose ends still need to be addressed with a communications tower upgrade and seeking a channel for large-scale emergency events involving multiple agencies.
The biggest change is communications now flow through a digital format, which can cause a problem for anyone in the public using an analog scanner. While the new technology allows agencies to encrypt, or mask communications from public listening, Bisch said the department views public knowledge as helpful.