The Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System (MARRS) Management Council is a consortium of public safety agencies throughout the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) region. The group meets quarterly to discuss policy guidance and provide oversight of the radio system to ensure that a high quality, reliable system is available to the metropolitan area. On November 29, 2023, the MARRS Management Council adopted a system subscriber access policy for non-public safety entities. This policy states, in part, that “Access to the Encrypted Regional talkgroups, and the System AES Encryption Key, is prohibited for non-Public Safety entities. under this policy, the Independence School District is prohibited from accessing encrypted radio channels that are key to core functions of the District’s Department of Public Safety.

This resolution expresses the City Council's support for the Independence School District to access these encrypted channels and encourages the MARRS Management Council to reconsider its policy for non-Public Safety entities.

The Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System (MARRS) Management Council is a consortium of public safety agencies throughout the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) region. The group meets quarterly to discuss policy guidance and provide oversight of the radio system to ensure that a high quality, reliable system is available to the metropolitan area. 

Recently, the regional radio system switched to AES encryption. At that time, it was unclear whether non-public safety entities would be allowed access to the AES encrypted frequencies. The Chief of Police attended the MARRS Users and Technical Committee Meeting and asked about granting the Independence School District the access request.  At that meeting, it was discussed and widely held that the policy position of MARRS was that Non-Public Safety Entities, later defined as Police, Fire, and EMS, would not be granted access to the shared AES encrypted frequencies.
 
After that time, it was brought to the City's attention that ISD had submitted an appeal to MARRS to re-consider the access request.  That request was discussed, in committee, and sent to a sub-committee of system owners for discussion.  The owners committee confirmed the previously held stance of access only for Public Safety Entities but added that there needed to be a more codified policy on the issue.  As such, the matter was referred for consideration by the MARRS Users and Technical Committee.
 
This request, and the subsequent policy consideration, was considered by the Users and Technical Committee earlier this month.  That committee voted unanimously to maintain the Public Safety Entity only access to the AES encrypted frequencies.  The committee referred the matter to the MARRS Management Council for final approval and policy position on the matter.
 
On November 29, 2023, the MARRS Management Council met and discussed the matter.  The body unanimously voted to adopt the previous position as the official policy of MARRS, and approved a Non-Public Safety Entity User Agreement document, codifying the policy and access restriction. 

The Independence City Council wishes for a reconsideration of this new policy in conjunction with their longstanding productive relationship with the Independence School District.