Sherburne County Sheriffs Office
Sherburne, Minnesota
How we verified this
The operator of the active Sherburne County Broadcastify feed states the Sherburne County Sheriff went encrypted in December 2024, and as of August 2026 RadioReference lists the county's Law Main 1E, Law 2E and law tactical talkgroups as encrypted while the feed carries only fire, EMS and state talkgroups.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
What This Means
Everything this agency transmits is encrypted, dispatch included. For anyone outside the department — residents, reporters, neighbouring responders — the channel is simply silent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sherburne County Sheriffs Office radio encrypted?
Yes. Sherburne County Sheriffs Office uses P25 AES-256 encryption. Everything this agency transmits is encrypted, dispatch included. For anyone outside the department — residents, reporters, neighbouring responders — the channel is simply silent.
Can I listen to Sherburne County Sheriffs Office on a police scanner?
No. Sherburne County Sheriffs Office has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Sherburne County Sheriffs Office encrypt their radio?
The standard justification nationwide is officer safety and operational security, regardless of whether a documented local incident ever required it. The tradeoff that follows is consistent too: public oversight drops, and reporters lose the ability to track sheriff's office response as it happens.
Can Sherburne County reverse the encryption decision?
It can. The radios support open and encrypted operation equally well, so this is a configuration and a policy, not a constraint — and policies set by Sherburne County officials are policies those officials can revisit when constituents press for it.
What can I do about Sherburne County Sheriffs Office encryption?
File a FOIA request for Sherburne County Sheriffs Office's radio recordings and encryption-decision paperwork, then show up to speak at a council or commission meeting. Find other residents or journalists in Sherburne County who want the same access — state legislation requiring public radio access is the longer-term fix, but organized local pressure is what usually moves the needle first.