Sierra Madre Police
Los Angeles, California
How we verified this
RR ICI system page (viewed 2026-08-01) marks SMD PD 1 Police Dispatch and PD 3 Admin with the partial-encryption flag and only SMD PD 2 Tactical as fully encrypted, so the listing's 'all operations AES-256' claim overstates it — some dispatch traffic is in the clear.
Encryption Details
Los Angeles County Context
Sierra Madre 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.
See every agency we track in Los Angeles County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
This is a split system: certain talkgroups are encrypted while others remain in the clear, which means partial monitoring is still possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sierra Madre Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Sierra Madre Police uses P25 AES-256 encryption. This is a split system: certain talkgroups are encrypted while others remain in the clear, which means partial monitoring is still possible.
Can I listen to Sierra Madre Police on a police scanner?
Partially. Sierra Madre Police encrypts some of its talkgroups while leaving others open, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.
Why did Sierra Madre Police encrypt their radio?
The standard justification nationwide is officer safety and operational security, regardless of whether a documented local incident ever required it. The tradeoff that follows is consistent too: public oversight drops, and reporters lose the ability to track police department response as it happens.
Can Los Angeles County reverse the encryption decision?
It can. The radios support open and encrypted operation equally well, so this is a configuration and a policy, not a constraint — and policies set by Los Angeles County officials are policies those officials can revisit when constituents press for it.
What can I do about Sierra Madre Police encryption?
Put the question to whoever signs off on Sierra Madre Police's radio budget: why full encryption rather than a delayed feed or tactical-only channels? File for the recordings and the decision documents alongside it, and link up with neighbours and local reporters in Los Angeles County so the ask arrives as a group rather than a one-off.