By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
As of the beginning of the year, the Norton County Sheriff's Department has encrypted its radio traffic, so the public can no longer hear it on a police scanner.
The dispatch and radio system is under the Norton County Sheriff's Department. The dispatch center handles radio traffic for both the Sheriff's Department and Norton Police Department.
Norton County Undersheriff Adam Wahlmeier said the change was made to protect private information, including medical information and victims' names.
He gave the example of information that might be on a driver's license, including date of birth and home address.
He said the encryption is required for departments to continue to use the criminal justice information system.
Although deputies have computer terminals in their vehicles, he said they do not have access to the information system through those terminals. They must go through dispatch while on the road.
Sheriff Troy Thomson shared a statement about the change in January.
"This change is not about secrecy. It's about protecting private information and meeting federal requirements," he said in the letter.
He said the change will not reduce transparency or accountability. Police reports, public records requests and court proceedings will remain open.
"You may ask, 'Why not just encrypt the sensitive part?' On fast-moving radio traffic, that's not practical. Fully encrypting the channel prevents private information from being accidentally broadcast and allows officers to focus on safety rather than technology."
He said the change was not made lightly.
"This change protects victims' privacy, officer safety and personal information without changing public access to records and accountability," Thomson said in the letter
(See Thomson's complete letter below.)
Wahlmeier said the sheriff's department purchased six new portable radios for about $5,000 to upgrade its system. Car radios were also upgraded, he said.
The Norton Police Department is sharing activity on its Facebook page, but Wahlmeier said he was not aware of any plan for the Sheriff's Office to do so.
In cases of natural disasters or area-wide emergencies, the county and city use reverse 911 systems. You can sign up for the system on the city of Norton's homepage.
Ellis County encrypted its first responder radio traffic in 2024.
