Augusta Police Department
Richmond, Georgia
How we verified this
The RR DB entry for the Augusta-Richmond County Government P25 system (sid/11359) has no talkgroups documented, but RadioReference forum posts from Dec 2024-Jan 2025 state the Richmond County (Augusta) system is completely encrypted; note the agency is actually policed by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, not a standalone 'Augusta Police Department', and the AES-256 cipher in our listing is unverified.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Richmond County Context
Augusta Police Department isn't an outlier here: 3 of the 3 public-safety agencies we track in Richmond County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Richmond County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
Everything this agency transmits is encrypted, dispatch included. For anyone outside the department — residents, reporters, neighbouring responders — the channel is simply silent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Augusta Police Department radio encrypted?
Yes — Augusta Police Department's radio system runs on P25 AES-256 encryption. Everything this agency transmits is encrypted, dispatch included. For anyone outside the department — residents, reporters, neighbouring responders — the channel is simply silent.
Can I listen to Augusta Police Department on a police scanner?
No. Augusta Police Department has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Augusta Police Department encrypt their radio?
Ask why, and the answer is usually officer safety, sometimes operational security. What is harder to obtain is any documented case in Richmond County where an open channel caused harm. The costs need no such documentation: reporting on police department response slows down, and mutual-aid coordination gets more awkward, immediately.
Can Richmond County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes. Encryption is a policy choice made by department leadership or elected officials, not a technical requirement, so it can be reversed the same way. Public pressure, city council advocacy, and organized local coalitions have reversed encryption decisions elsewhere.
What can I do about Augusta Police Department encryption?
Ask for the paperwork first — the policy that authorised encryption for Augusta Police Department, and the recordings themselves — because a specific request is harder to wave away than a general complaint. Then take what you learn to a council meeting, and bring others from Richmond County with you.