City of Hamtramck
Wayne, Michigan
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists all five Hamtramck MPSCS talkgroups — police dispatch, police tactical, car-to-car, police reserves and fire dispatch — as encrypted.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Wayne County Context
City of Hamtramck isn't an outlier here: 12 of the 15 public-safety agencies we track in Wayne County are fully encrypted (80%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Wayne 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 City of Hamtramck radio encrypted?
Yes — City of Hamtramck's radio system runs on P25 ADP 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 City of Hamtramck on a police scanner?
No. City of Hamtramck has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 ADP. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did City of Hamtramck encrypt their radio?
Officer safety and operational security are the reasons agencies give. What rarely comes with that explanation is Wayne County-specific evidence that open communications ever caused a problem, while the loss of public oversight and the friction with still-unencrypted neighboring agencies are both immediate and real.
Can Wayne County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes, and some departments already have. Because encryption here is a choice rather than a technical necessity, the path back runs through the same people who chose it: budget hearings, records requests, and residents who keep asking in public.
What can I do about City of Hamtramck encryption?
Ask for the paperwork first — the policy that authorised encryption for City of Hamtramck, 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 Wayne County with you.