CHICAGO — Most of Chicago’s major mayoral candidates said they would undo Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s controversial plan to block live transmission of Police Department scanner traffic from the media if they are elected next year.
For decades, journalists and some members of the public have listened to police radio scanner traffic to keep tabs on what’s happening in the city. Lightfoot has argued that she wants to protect police scanner traffic by encrypting it and limiting access from the public so that criminals can’t listen in real time and vandals can’t interfere with broadcasts. Under Lightfoot’s policy, scanner traffic would be released on a 30-minute delay, subject to potential redactions.
Earlier this month, the Chicago Tribune joined with eight other media outlets to protest Lightfoot’s decision, arguing that it would harm public safety and lead to less transparency.
