The NYPD plans to go radio silent.

WNYC News

Lawmakers in the New York State Assembly have failed to pass a bill that would have preserved public access to police radio dispatches. Right now, anyone who knows how to tune in can listen to the department talking about active responses to 911 calls.

The push for the new bill came after the NYPD said last year it planned to fully encrypt its radio channels by December 2024. The dispatches had been available to the press and the public since 1932.

New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris of Queens, who sponsored the bill and helped pass it in the Senate, joined WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk about why public access to police scanners is important for everyone, not just journalists.