Sheriff's Office Partially Encrypted

Grant County Sheriff's Office

Grant, Minnesota

How we verified this

As of August 2026 the Grant County category on RadioReference's ARMER page lists two encrypted law tactical talkgroups, "27328 D Enc GR 7 Grant Tac 7" and "27330 D Enc GR 8 Grant Tac 8", while "27326 D GR LAW Sheriff Dispatch" and the county fire dispatch talkgroup remain in the clear.

Checked against a primary source on 2026-08-09: radioreference.com . Encryption status changes without notice — confirm the current picture on the live RadioReference database before relying on it.

What you can do right now

Encryption Details

Encryption Type P25 AES-256
Scope Some talkgroups encrypted; dispatch audible per verification
Technical Details P25 on ARMER

What This Means

This is a split system: certain talkgroups are encrypted while others remain in the clear, which means partial monitoring is still possible.

See encryption status nationwide Interactive map showing which US police departments have encrypted their radios. Open the encryption map →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Grant County Sheriff's Office radio encrypted?

Yes. Grant County Sheriff's Office uses P25 AES-256 encryption. This is a split system: certain talkgroups are encrypted while others remain in the clear, which means partial monitoring is still possible.

Can I listen to Grant County Sheriff's Office on a police scanner?

Partially. Grant County Sheriff's Office encrypts some of its talkgroups while leaving others open, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.

Why did Grant County Sheriff's Office encrypt their radio?

The reasons offered are almost always the same two: officer safety and operational security. Whether either was tested against a real Grant 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 Grant County reverse the encryption decision?

Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Grant 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 Grant County Sheriff's Office encryption?

Put the question to whoever signs off on Grant County Sheriff's Office's radio budget: why full encryption rather than a delayed feed or tactical-only channels? File for the recordings and the decision documents alongside it, and link up with neighbours and local reporters in Grant County so the ask arrives as a group rather than a one-off.

Data source: RadioReference Wiki

Checked against a primary source on 2026-08-09 — see "How we verified this" above. Encryption status changes; confirm at RadioReference before relying on it.

Advertisement