Manchester Police
Hillsborough, New Hampshire
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference's City of Manchester system listing shows police operations and tactical encrypted — "11003 PD Operations — Police Operations — D Enc" and "11005 PD Tac — D Enc" — with one channel still in the clear, "11007 PD Detail — Police Details — D".
Encryption Details
Hillsborough County Context
Manchester Police isn't an outlier here: 2 of the 3 public-safety agencies we track in Hillsborough County are fully encrypted (67%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Hillsborough County → County encryption overview →
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 Manchester Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Manchester 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 Manchester Police on a police scanner?
Partially. Manchester 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 Manchester Police encrypt their radio?
Agencies cite officer safety and operational security. Those are assertions rather than findings — no local evidence is typically produced — while the effects are concrete and land straight away on anyone who relied on hearing Manchester Police to know what was happening nearby.
Can Hillsborough County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Hillsborough 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 Manchester Police encryption?
File a FOIA request for Manchester Police's radio recordings and encryption-decision paperwork, then show up to speak at a council or commission meeting. Find other residents or journalists in Hillsborough 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.