Bayonne City Fire
Bayonne, New Jersey
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference's Bayonne City system listing flags all six Bayonne fire talkgroups — Fire Dispatch and Fire 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 — as fully encrypted, not just Fire 8, while the city's public-works, housing and school-bus talkgroups remain in the clear.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Bayonne County Context
Bayonne County is a mixed picture: 1 of 2 agencies we track here are fully encrypted (50%), which means some neighboring departments are still audible on a scanner.
See every agency we track in Bayonne County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
All traffic, including the day-to-day dispatch that used to be the public's window into police activity, now runs encrypted. Nothing from this department is receivable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bayonne City Fire radio encrypted?
Yes. Bayonne City Fire uses P25 AES-256 encryption. All traffic, including the day-to-day dispatch that used to be the public's window into police activity, now runs encrypted. Nothing from this department is receivable.
Can I listen to Bayonne City Fire on a police scanner?
No. Bayonne City Fire has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Bayonne City Fire 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 Bayonne City Fire to know what was happening nearby.
Can Bayonne 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 Bayonne County officials are policies those officials can revisit when constituents press for it.
What can I do about Bayonne City Fire encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Bayonne City Fire's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Bayonne County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.