Secretary of State Police
Statewide, Illinois
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists three Illinois Secretary of State Police operations talkgroups (4101, 4104, 4152) as encrypted, while Capitol Complex dispatch and the Executive Protection Unit talkgroup remain in the clear.
Encryption Details
What This Means
A defined subset of this agency's channels is encrypted. The rest of the system continues to operate in the clear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Secretary of State Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Secretary of State Police uses P25 AES-256 encryption. A defined subset of this agency's channels is encrypted. The rest of the system continues to operate in the clear.
Can I listen to Secretary of State Police on a police scanner?
Partially. Secretary of State Police encrypts specific talkgroups rather than the whole system, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.
Why did Secretary of State 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 Statewide 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 Statewide County reverse the encryption decision?
Nothing technical prevents it. Secretary of State 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 Secretary of State Police encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Secretary of State Police's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Statewide County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.