Metro pulls plug on public access to police chatter

When a gunman opened fire Oct. 1 on a crowd of concertgoers from a Strip hotel, anyone with a radio scanner or internet connection could listen in on Metro Police radio traffic as the mayhem unfolded.

“It’s coming from upstairs in the Mandalay Bay,” an officer shouts into his radio as gunfire rains down from the 32nd floor. “Halfway up; I see the shots coming from Mandalay Bay.”

Scanners, which can be readily purchased at electronics stores or online, can be programmed to search for police and fire department transmissions, which can then be made even more widely available by groups that stream them on websites such as broadcastify.com. Mikey Slyman, co-founder, Las Vegas Emergency Incidents (Las Vegas Heroes) Facebook group

But that’s all over — at least when it comes to Metro Police communications. Metro recently encrypted its radio channels, rendering scanners available to the public obsolete.

The change will let Metro guard sensitive transmissions, such as details about victims or tactical information a suspect armed with a scanner could hear over the open airwaves, Officer Jay Rivera said.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said the switch wasn’t in response to the Oct. 1 shooting, which left 58 people dead and 851 injured. It had been in the works for two years, he said.

It’s a disappointment, nonetheless, for police buffs and groups that say they are doing a public service by disseminating information gleaned from the scanner.

“It’s a real bum deal for the public,” said Mikey Slyman, a co-founder of the Las Vegas Emergency Incidents (Las Vegas Heroes) Facebook group.

The group, which has more than 50,000 members and has become an invaluable tool for people curious about

“If somebody is running through the neighborhood with a gun, I’d like to know.”