San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
San Francisco, California
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
View 24 talkgroups
| DEC | Alpha Tag | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6001 | SFO PD 1 | Police 1 - Traffic Control | Encrypted |
| 6002 | SFO PD 2 | Police 2 - Dispatch | Encrypted |
| 6021 | SFO FD DISP | Fire Dispatch | Mixed |
| 6041 | SFO OPS 1 | Airport Operations 1 | Encrypted |
| 6022 | SFO FD TAC | Fire Tactical | Mixed |
| 1413 | SFGH | San Francisco General Hospital | Encrypted |
| 1414 | SFGH BASE | San Francisco General Hospital - Base | Encrypted |
| 1420 | VA | San Francisco VA Medical Center | Encrypted |
| 6023 | SFO FD MED | Fire Medical | Mixed |
| 6027 | SFO FD 6 | Fire Ch 6 | Mixed |
| 6024 | SFO FD ARFF | Fire Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting | Mixed |
| 6026 | SFO FD 5 | Fire Ch 5 | Mixed |
| 6028 | SFO FD 7 | Fire Ch 7 | Mixed |
| 6029 | SFO FDM | Fire Marshal | Mixed |
| 6042 | SFO OPS 2 | Airport Operations 2 | Encrypted |
| 6043 | SFO OPS 3 | Airport Operations 3 | Encrypted |
| 6044 | SFO ADM | Airport Administration | Encrypted |
| 6045 | SFO ICS | Incident Command System | Encrypted |
| 6046 | SFO SOC | Security Operations Center | Encrypted |
| 6003 | SFO PD 3 | Police 3 | Encrypted |
| 6005 | SFO PD TAC1 | Police Tac 1 | Encrypted |
| 6025 | SFO PD TAC2 | Police Tac 2 | Encrypted |
| 6047 | SFO PD TAC3 | Police Tac 3 | Encrypted |
| 783 | VA White | Valley White - Stockton (62) / Tracy (103) / Amador (94) / San Andreas (49) | Encrypted |
Verification Status
We don't yet have per-talkgroup data for San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 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 high confidence (99%) based on how closely the wiki listing matches this agency's name and county.
If you monitor San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 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.
San Francisco County Context
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) isn't an outlier here: 2 of the 2 public-safety agencies we track in San Francisco County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in San Francisco County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
Our records list every channel this agency runs as encrypted, including day-to-day dispatch. That listing hasn't been verified against live talkgroup data, so confirm it at RadioReference before relying on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Francisco International Airport (SFO) radio encrypted?
Our database lists San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as using P25 AES-256 encryption, though this listing is unverified. Our records list every channel this agency runs as encrypted, including day-to-day dispatch. That listing hasn't been verified against live talkgroup data, so confirm it at RadioReference before relying on it.
Can I listen to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on a police scanner?
Likely not, if the listing is accurate: our database lists San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 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 San Francisco International Airport (SFO) encrypt their radio?
Agencies cite officer safety and operational security. Those are assertions rather than findings — no local evidence is typically produced — while the effects are concrete and land straight away on anyone who relied on hearing San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to know what was happening nearby.
Can San Francisco County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision San Francisco County officials made and can revisit, and other communities have pushed departments back toward open channels through sustained council pressure and coalition-building.
What can I do about San Francisco International Airport (SFO) encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for San Francisco International Airport (SFO)'s encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during San Francisco County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.