Police Department Fully Encrypted

El Monte Police

Los Angeles, California

What you can do right now

Encryption Details

Encryption Type P25 AES-256
Scope All Operations
Technical Details P25 AES-256

Verified Talkgroup Data

Verified Mar 6, 2026 Moderate confidence
60 Total Talkgroups
13 Encrypted
2 Mixed
45 Unencrypted
23% Encrypted
Radio System: Nextel (WIL681 2), Mobile Relay Associates (Mount Lukens), United States Department of Defense (14C), National Science and Technology Network (Mount Lukens 1), National Science and Technology Network (Los Angeles), Comm Enterprises (Sierra Peak), Touch Tel Mobile (Los Angeles), Anderson Communications (Mount Lukens), Touch Tel Mobile (217 MHz LA Basin), Acumen Communication (Mt. Wilson), Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), Fisher Wireless TeamTalk, Los Angeles City (STRS - Simulcast Trunked Radio System) Project 25, Mobile Relay Associates (Santiago Peak 2), Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), Los Angeles Countywide Integrated Radio System (CWIRS), Southern California Edison, Mobile Relay Associates Diga-Talk Network, El Capitan Theatre, Mobile Relay Associates, Mobile Relay Associates (Mount Lukens # 2), Culver City DMR System, California Radio Interoperable System (CRIS)
View 15 talkgroups
DEC Alpha Tag Description Status
28222 JAX Fuels Fuel Truck Dispatch Mixed
2120 LASD LTAC ELA L-TAC - East LA Encrypted
2150 LASD LTAC MDR L-TAC - Marina del Rey Encrypted
2121 LASD METRO ELA Metro -East LA Supplemental Tac Encrypted
2151 LASD METRO MDR Metro - Marina del Rey Supplemental Tac Encrypted
2065 LASD JRIC TAC Joint Regional Intelligence Center Tactical Mixed
3011 ELRSD PD 1 Police 1 Encrypted
3012 ELRSD PD 2 Police 2 Encrypted
3013 ELRSD PD 3 Police 3 Encrypted
2082 LASD DISP-3 Dispatch 3 - East Los Angeles Encrypted
2091 LASD DISP 12 Dispatch 12 - South LA / Marina del Rey Encrypted
16 EL MARINO El Marino Elementary Encrypted
18 EL RINCON El Rincon Elementary Encrypted
839 SO YEL TAC A Yellow Tac-A Encrypted
832 SO TEL TAC B Teal Tac-B Encrypted

Verification Status

We don't yet have per-talkgroup data for El Monte Police from the RadioReference API. The encryption scope and type above come from the RadioReference Wiki, which is community-maintained rather than independently confirmed channel-by-channel. Our automated matching put this at moderate confidence (70%) based on how closely the wiki listing matches this agency's name and county.

If you monitor El Monte Police directly or have more current information, the fastest way to fix this is to update the RadioReference Wiki entry — our data pulls from there and from the RadioReference API on a regular refresh cycle.

Los Angeles County Context

El Monte Police isn't an outlier here: 39 of the 46 public-safety agencies we track in Los Angeles County are fully encrypted (85%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.

What This Means

This agency is listed in our database as encrypting all of its radio communications, including routine dispatch. The listing is unverified — confirm current status on the live RadioReference database.

See encryption status nationwide Interactive map showing which US police departments have encrypted their radios. Open the encryption map →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is El Monte Police radio encrypted?

El Monte Police is listed in our records with P25 AES-256 encryption — a listing we haven't yet verified against live talkgroup data. This agency is listed in our database as encrypting all of its radio communications, including routine dispatch. The listing is unverified — confirm current status on the live RadioReference database.

Can I listen to El Monte Police on a police scanner?

Likely not, if the listing is accurate: our database lists El Monte Police as fully encrypted using P25 AES-256, which no consumer scanner can decode. The listing is unverified — check the live RadioReference database for current status.

Why do agencies like El Monte Police encrypt their radio?

Departments typically point to officer safety and operational security. Neither claim tends to come with evidence specific to Los Angeles County; what's verifiable is what's lost — journalists can't monitor police department activity in real time, and coordination with agencies that stay unencrypted gets harder.

Can Los Angeles County reverse the encryption decision?

Yes, and some departments already have. Because encryption here is a choice rather than a technical necessity, the path back runs through the same people who chose it: budget hearings, records requests, and residents who keep asking in public.

What can I do about El Monte Police encryption?

Contact the officials who oversee El Monte Police's budget directly and ask why full encryption was chosen over partial alternatives. Pair that with a FOIA request for recordings and policy records, and look for an existing coalition in Los Angeles County, or start one, since agencies respond differently to organized, sustained pressure than to individual complaints.

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