Highlands Police
Monmouth, New Jersey
How we verified this
RadioReference shows Highlands/Atlantic Highlands PD talkgroup 3004 flagged encrypted on the Monmouth County Public Safety P25 system, whose notes state 'All Law Enforcement Talkgroups are Encrypted.'
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Monmouth County Context
Highlands Police isn't an outlier here: 26 of the 26 public-safety agencies we track in Monmouth County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Monmouth County → County encryption overview →
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 Highlands Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Highlands Police 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 Highlands Police on a police scanner?
No. Highlands Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Highlands 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 Highlands Police to know what was happening nearby.
Can Monmouth 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 Monmouth County officials are policies those officials can revisit when constituents press for it.
What can I do about Highlands Police encryption?
Put the question to whoever signs off on Highlands Police'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 Monmouth County so the ask arrives as a group rather than a one-off.