Deerfield Police
Lake, Illinois
How we verified this
RR Lake County IL DB page shows Deerfield Police (300s units) dispatching themselves, Bannockburn, Lincolnshire and Riverwoods on talkgroup 33373, marked encrypted.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Lake County Context
Deerfield Police isn't an outlier here: 17 of the 30 public-safety agencies we track in Lake County are fully encrypted (57%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Lake County → County encryption overview →
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Deerfield Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Deerfield 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 Deerfield Police on a police scanner?
No. Deerfield Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Deerfield Police encrypt their radio?
The reasons offered are almost always the same two: officer safety and operational security. Whether either was tested against a real Lake County incident is rarely part of the public record, whereas the consequences are easy to observe — no real-time accountability, and neighbouring agencies still in the clear left working around the gap.
Can Lake County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Lake 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 Deerfield Police encryption?
File a FOIA request for Deerfield Police's radio recordings and encryption-decision paperwork, then show up to speak at a council or commission meeting. Find other residents or journalists in Lake County who want the same access — state legislation requiring public radio access is the longer-term fix, but organized local pressure is what usually moves the needle first.