North Carolina Highway Patrol
Staetwide, North Carolina
How we verified this
As of August 2026 the Highway Patrol's criminal-interdiction talkgroups are fully encrypted on VIPER — "SHPCIT | SHP CIT" and "SHPCITDEACOM | SHP CIT DEA COM" carry "D Enc" and "SHP OPS 1" through OPS 8 carry partial "D enc" — while "SHPMOTOR | SHP Motor Units", "SHPSOSCOMMON1 | SHP Special Operations Common 1" and SHP Training 1 remain plain "D".
Encryption Details
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 North Carolina Highway Patrol radio encrypted?
Yes — North Carolina Highway Patrol's radio system runs on 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 North Carolina Highway Patrol on a police scanner?
Partially. North Carolina Highway Patrol encrypts some of its talkgroups while leaving others open, so some channels may still be accessible. Check RadioReference for specific talkgroup status.
Why did North Carolina Highway Patrol encrypt their radio?
Ask why, and the answer is usually officer safety, sometimes operational security. What is harder to obtain is any documented case in Staetwide County where an open channel caused harm. The costs need no such documentation: reporting on state agency response slows down, and mutual-aid coordination gets more awkward, immediately.
Can Staetwide County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes. Whoever made this call for North Carolina Highway Patrol can also unmake it; there's no technical lock-in. The approach that has worked elsewhere combines public-records requests, direct council pressure, and a coordinated local coalition.
What can I do about North Carolina Highway Patrol encryption?
Contact the officials who oversee North Carolina Highway Patrol's budget directly and ask why full encryption was chosen over partial alternatives. Pair that with a FOIA request for recordings and policy records, and look for an existing coalition in Staetwide County, or start one, since agencies respond differently to organized, sustained pressure than to individual complaints.