The Hidden Risk of Unsecured Communication in Public Safety
What I learned from years of trying to keep everyone on the same page
By Mark Wood, CEO, LeoSight | Lt., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (ret.)
One thing I learned over my career in law enforcement is that communication problems rarely look like communication problems when they're happening.
At the time, it usually feels like people are doing whatever they can to solve the problem in front of them.
I remember countless incidents where information was moving faster than any formal communication process could keep up with. Officers were arriving from different districts. Detectives were responding. Command staff wanted updates. Neighboring agencies were becoming involved. Everyone was working hard and everyone was trying to help.
The challenge wasn't a lack of communication. The challenge was that information was moving through multiple channels at the same time.
Someone would text an update to a supervisor. Another person would make a phone call. A group message would start among investigators. Information would be passed over the radio, then repeated differently somewhere else. None of it was malicious. In fact, it was usually the exact opposite.
People were simply trying to keep up.
That's why I believe one of the biggest hidden risks in public safety today isn't a lack of communication. It's communication happening in places where agencies have little visibility, little control, and often little ability to recover information later.
For years, public safety agencies have invested heavily in secure systems, cybersecurity programs, CJIS compliance, and communications infrastructure. Those investments are critical. We are entrusted with sensitive information, and protecting that information is part of our responsibility to the public.
But despite those efforts, many agencies still find themselves facing a reality that often goes unspoken.
Important operational communication is still happening through unsecured channels.
Not because people want to violate policy.
Not because they don't understand the risks.
But because when things get busy, people naturally gravitate toward whatever helps them coordinate fastest.
A text message feels quicker than a phone call.
A group chat feels easier than relaying information through multiple channels.
A commercial messaging app may seem like the fastest way to keep several agencies informed during a rapidly evolving situation.
I've seen this behavior throughout my career, and if I'm being honest, I understand it.
When lives may be at stake, nobody is thinking about technology architecture or compliance frameworks. They're focused on solving the immediate problem.
The behavior is understandable.
The risk is not.
Today's public safety environment is more collaborative than ever before. Major incidents routinely involve multiple agencies, disciplines, and jurisdictions. Law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management, and partner organizations are expected to operate as one team.
That level of coordination is difficult enough when everyone is using the same systems.
It becomes exponentially harder when critical information starts living inside personal text messages, consumer messaging apps, or disconnected communication channels.
When that happens, agencies don't just lose security.
They lose visibility.
They lose accountability.
They lose the ability to understand who knew what and when they knew it.
And perhaps most importantly, they lose shared understanding during moments when shared understanding matters most.
I've come to believe that this is why conversations about secure communication often miss the mark.
The discussion immediately becomes about compliance.
Compliance is important. It has to be.
But in my experience, compliance isn't the reason people choose communication tools.
People choose communication tools because they help them work together.
If agencies truly want to reduce reliance on unsecured communication channels, the answer isn't simply writing another policy.
The answer is giving responders a secure alternative that works as naturally and efficiently as the tools they're already using.
It has to support the way public safety actually operates.
It has to allow officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, emergency managers, and command staff to share information quickly, maintain situational awareness, and stay aligned without creating additional friction.
Because at the end of the day, communication isn't just about exchanging information.
It's about creating alignment.
The agencies I speak with today understand the risks. They don't need another lecture about why security matters. What they're looking for is a practical way to balance operational effectiveness with security and compliance.
That's a challenge worth solving.
Because the future of public safety depends on agencies being able to work together as one team, and that starts with giving them a secure way to communicate, collaborate, and stay aligned when it matters most.
