Alameda County Law Enforcement Transition to AES 256-bit Encryption for Radio Communications

Several years ago, the State of California Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a bulletin mandating protection of Criminal Justice Information (CJI) and Personal Identifying Information (PII) during radio transmissions. Federal standards also require encryption for sensitive data.  As a result, the East Bay Radio Regional Communications System Authority (EBRCSA) began work to transition law enforcement agencies and other first responders to encryption to comply with state and federal mandates. 

In response to state and federal mandates, and led by EBRCSA, the Fremont Police Department transitioned to encrypting specific radio channels commonly used to transmit sensitive information. The Alameda County law enforcement transition to encrypted radio communications was implemented on October 15, 2025.

California Justice Information Services Division Bulletin No. 20-09-CIJS

On October 12, 2020, the DOJ issued Information Bulletin #20-09-CJIS, which sets forth legal mandates and guidelines regarding the confidentiality of information from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS).

The DOJ guidelines require law enforcement agencies to protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Criminal Justice Information (CJI). PII is unique identifiers that can distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, date of birth, driver’s license, social security and/or military identification numbers. CJI is information such as wants/warrants, restraining orders and/or details related to an individual’s probation or parole status.

The state order allows law enforcement agencies to meet the requirement in one of two ways:

1. Establish policies that restrict the dissemination of personally identifiable information while still transmitting other information through an open frequency
2. Encrypt all communications 

The Fremont Police Department's primary radio channel is not encrypted and anyone with a commercial scanner or a smartphone scanning app can listen to radio traffic, take down pertinent details or arrive on the scene and cause disruptions during an active incident. FPD transitioned to AES 256-bit radio encryption by the EBRCSA on October 15, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. What is Encryption, and how does it work?
   Radio encryption is the process of encoding messages to ensure that only authorized parties can access and understand the information being transmitted. It secures communications from unauthorized listeners by scrambling the information transmitted over radios. Radio signal is fed into a digital encryption algorithm, like AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), and this algorithm is controlled by a "key" and can only be decoded with the proper "key." 

2. Why are law enforcement agencies moving to radio encryption?
   This transition is a critical step to ensure compliance with legal and security requirements. Specifically, it addresses:
   • State Mandates: The California Department of Justice (DOJ) requires the protection of Criminal Justice Information (CJI) and Personal Identifying Information (PII) during transmission.
   • Federal Standards: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy mandates encryption for the transmission of sensitive data.
   • Officer Safety: Encrypting primary radio channels prevents individuals with malicious intent from monitoring police activities, including tactical information and officer locations, thereby reducing the risk to officers during dynamic situations.
     
     
3. The CA DOJ memo requiring the protection of PII and CJI was issued in 2020. Why is this transition happening now?
   Since the 2020 DOJ memo, many agencies have implemented interim solutions to protect PII and CJI, such as using back-up channels or in-car computers for data exchange. Some agencies also began using encrypted secondary channels for primary traffic. We have worked to develop and implement a system-wide encryption solution to ensure consistent and comprehensive compliance for member agencies.
   
   
4. How common is radio encryption among other law enforcement agencies in California?
   While a precise count is not available, it is our understanding that most law enforcement agencies in California have already transitioned to or utilize encrypted radio channels for their primary communications, including most Bay Area law enforcement agencies.
   
   
5. Are there alternatives to encryption for protecting PII and CJI?
   While other solutions exist, they do not fully meet the rigorous standards set by the DOJ and FBI, are cost prohibitive to continue long-term or could compromise peace officer safety. The DOJ memo explicitly states that “the transmission of such information must be encrypted.”

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