Maine State Police
Statewude, Maine
How we verified this
Live RadioReference talkgroup data (system last updated Aug 2026) shows most Troop 'Talk Around' channels (Troops A, B, C, D, K, E, J, F) marked Encrypted, but 'Troop G-Pike Dispatch' and 'Troop I' are marked clear mode -- mixed status, not fully encrypted 'all' scope as currently recorded.
Encryption Details
What This Means
Some of this agency's traffic is encrypted and some is not. What you can hear depends on the channel and on what the department is doing at the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maine State Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Maine State Police uses P25 AES-256 encryption. Some of this agency's traffic is encrypted and some is not. What you can hear depends on the channel and on what the department is doing at the time.
Can I listen to Maine State Police on a police scanner?
Partially. Maine State Police encrypts some of its talkgroups while leaving others open, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.
Why did Maine 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 Statewude 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 Statewude County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Statewude 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 Maine State Police encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Maine State Police's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Statewude County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.