Boston councilors allege failure in police radio system during response to several shootings

quickly resolved - lol lol lol lol lol lol

keywords - openness - live scanner audio

bpd recently changed from analog to digital (P25) - bpd also turned on
encryption during the changeover

5 people were shot while P25 encrypted radios were in use - strange -
seems that the bad guys are not afraid of P25 encrypted radios

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Boston councilors allege failure in police radio system during
response to several shootings

Updated: 12:19 PM EDT Aug 19, 2025 Editorial Standards ⓘ
Imani Clement
Digital Content Editor
BOSTON —

Two Boston lawmakers requested Monday that the city's police
department open an investigation into an alleged breakdown of the
agency's radio system after several shootings following Sunday's
annual Dominican Festival.

In a letter penned to Boston police commissioner Michael Cox, city
councilors Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn claimed that the police
department's radio system broke down while officers were trying to
maintain crowd safety after five people were shot in the wake of the
festival.


"The department's main radio channel failed for nearly 30 minutes,
forcing officers to respond to an active shooting without reliable
communication tools," the councilors wrote. "As City Councilors, we
are deeply concerned that public safety systems failed at such a
critical moment. These failures highlight the broader problem of
underinvestment in essential tools that our first responders need to
do their jobs safely and effectively."

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An investigation is warranted re: @bostonpolice primary radio channel
failed for 30 minutes. This is dangerous and unacceptable.
Our police officers should never be placed in a dangerous position
where they respond to active shootings without reliable communication
tools. pic.twitter.com/xaK3fNZDdC

Four people were shot in separate scenes in Dorchester during the
early morning hours on Monday.

4 shot in separate incidents in Dorchester; police investigating

All four victims were taken to nearby hospitals with
non-life-threatening injuries.

Police did not say if any of the incidents were related. No one has
been charged in the shootings.

Murphy and Flynn asked that findings from a potential police
investigation into the breakdown and its impact on officers' response
be reported back to the city council and the public.

Earlier this month, the Boston Police Department converted from an
analog radio system to a digital encrypted system. The encryption,
which began on Aug. 9, means that police transmissions are no longer
available through traditional analog radio equipment. The department
instead offered a time-delayed online feed for public consumption.

Superintendent-in-Chief Phillip Owens said Tuesday that officers
followed protocol on the night of the incident and switched over to a
functional channel. He said it all happened in less than a minute.

"That lapse that you're referring to was very, it was very short,"
Owens said. "It merely switched over the channel to another channel
and it was quickly resolved."

Owens said the department is working with Motorola to find out exactly
what happened.

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