Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene
Statewide, Maryland
How we verified this
As of August 2026 exactly one Maryland Department of Health talkgroup on the First Responders Interoperable Radio System Team (FIRST) is encrypted — "7901 MDH Secure — Secure — T Enc" — while its roughly eighty regional, hospital, facility and medical-examiner talkgroups are all listed "T" in the clear.
Encryption Details
What This Means
Encryption here is a mixed bag: some talkgroups are locked, others aren't. It varies by channel and by what the department is doing at the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene radio encrypted?
Yes — Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene's radio system runs on P25 AES-256 encryption. Encryption here is a mixed bag: some talkgroups are locked, others aren't. It varies by channel and by what the department is doing at the time.
Can I listen to Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene on a police scanner?
Partially. Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene encrypts some of its talkgroups while leaving others open, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.
Why did Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene 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 Statewide County where an open channel caused harm. The costs need no such documentation: reporting on state agency response slows down, and mutual-aid coordination gets more awkward, immediately.
Can Statewide County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes. Whoever made this call for Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene can also unmake it; there's no technical lock-in. The approach that has worked elsewhere combines public-records requests, direct council pressure, and a coordinated local coalition.
What can I do about Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene encryption?
Ask for the paperwork first — the policy that authorised encryption for Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene, 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 Statewide County with you.