I live here in cow country - last job was a PD - they do have secure radio, so they can talk to dispatch, other officers without being heard. Sadly, we now live in a world where criminals listen to scanner apps on their phone...and would just stay right ahead of the officers.

So...secure radio was born. They don’t stay on it all day - but one press of a button, and only dispatch and the few officers that may have it turned on can hear them. We have had it for years here. Listen to a police scanner sometime - when it sounds like you’re only hearing one side of a conversation...the officer is on secure. Hear a dispatcher say “FYI, you’re on secure”...officer is transmitting things the department feels shouldn’t be secure. Hear an officer tell another to “go to secure”...he wants to that officer something he doesn’t want the public to hear (like the location of a suspect). If you’re by a scanner that has a light that lights up with transmission...lights on, you don’t hear anything. Someone’s talking, and they don’t want you to hear it. I hope that makes you feel better.