Photo by Eric Purcell

Like the Metropolitan Police Department, D.C.’s fire department may encrypt its scanner traffic following the shooting at the Navy Yard.

“Encryption will be one of the recommendations from the Navy Yard After-Action report. Encryption is by no means a done deal,” a tweet from the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice’s office said. “Deputy Mayor [Paul] Quander is seeing whether basic radio traffic for calls can remain open to public, and tactical channels be encrypted. FEMS radio traffic related to the Navy Yard shootings was being broadcast live on the internet. Real-time access to tactical information by a perpetrator could result in an even more danger for emergency responders and the public.”

MPD’s scanners were encrypted in October 2011, a move police Chief Cathy Lanier defended as needed “to help to deter crime, as criminals have used scanners to track police activity and plan their crimes.” But the decision was also met with criticism from local journalists and public safety officials, who said it could hamper regional interoperability.