Kanakakee Hospitals
Kanakakee, Illinois
How we verified this
RadioReference's Kankakee County listing states Riverside Medical Center EMS patient reports (talkgroup 34981) and St. Mary's Hospital EMS patient reports (34982) have been encrypted since 6/1/20 (checked August 2026).
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Kanakakee County Context
Kanakakee County is a mixed picture: 1 of 2 agencies we track here are fully encrypted (50%), which means some neighboring departments are still audible on a scanner.
See every agency we track in Kanakakee County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
Every channel this agency runs, including day-to-day dispatch, is encrypted. That shuts out the public and local reporters, and it can complicate coordination with nearby agencies that still expect to hear it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kanakakee Hospitals radio encrypted?
Yes — Kanakakee Hospitals's radio system runs on P25 AES-256 encryption. Every channel this agency runs, including day-to-day dispatch, is encrypted. That shuts out the public and local reporters, and it can complicate coordination with nearby agencies that still expect to hear it.
Can I listen to Kanakakee Hospitals on a police scanner?
No. Kanakakee Hospitals has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Kanakakee Hospitals encrypt their radio?
Departments typically point to officer safety and operational security. Neither claim tends to come with evidence specific to Kanakakee County; what's verifiable is what's lost — journalists can't monitor hospital/medical facility activity in real time, and coordination with agencies that stay unencrypted gets harder.
Can Kanakakee 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 Kanakakee Hospitals encryption?
Ask for the paperwork first — the policy that authorised encryption for Kanakakee Hospitals, 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 Kanakakee County with you.