Police Department Fully Encrypted Discovered via RadioReference

Miami Gardens Police

Miami-dade, Florida

How we verified this

As of August 2026 RadioReference lists both Miami Gardens Police talkgroups on the Miami-Dade County system, dispatch and car channel, as encrypted.

Checked against a primary source on 2026-08-09: radioreference.com . Encryption status changes without notice — confirm the current picture on the live RadioReference database before relying on it.

What you can do right now

Encryption Details

Encryption Type P25 AES-256
Scope Discovered via RadioReference (2 encrypted talkgroups)
Technical Details Inferred from RadioReference

Verified Talkgroup Data

Verified Aug 9, 2026 Low confidence
2 Total Talkgroups
2 Encrypted
0 Unencrypted
100% Encrypted
Radio System: Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade County (P25)
View 2 talkgroups
DEC Alpha Tag Description Status
27490 MGPD Wolf Pack-1 Miami Gardens Wolf Pack-1 Encrypted
27495 MGPD Wolf Pack-2 Miami Gardens Wolf Pack-2 Encrypted

Miami-dade County Context

Miami Gardens Police isn't an outlier here: 8 of the 11 public-safety agencies we track in Miami-dade County are fully encrypted (73%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.

What This Means

There is no partial access here: routine dispatch is encrypted alongside everything else, so a scanner picks up nothing from this agency at all.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Miami Gardens Police radio encrypted?

Yes. Miami Gardens Police uses P25 AES-256 encryption. There is no partial access here: routine dispatch is encrypted alongside everything else, so a scanner picks up nothing from this agency at all.

Can I listen to Miami Gardens Police on a police scanner?

No. Miami Gardens Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.

Why did Miami Gardens 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 Miami-dade County reverse the encryption decision?

Nothing technical prevents it. Miami Gardens Police operates encrypted because someone decided it should, and decisions of that kind get revisited when councils hear sustained, organised pressure rather than isolated complaints.

What can I do about Miami Gardens Police encryption?

Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Miami Gardens Police's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Miami-dade County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.

Data source: RadioReference Wiki + RadioReference API (verified)

Checked against a primary source on 2026-08-09 — see "How we verified this" above. Encryption status changes; confirm at RadioReference before relying on it.

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