Barnes County Sheriff's Dept.
Barnes, North Dakota
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists both Barnes County sheriff talkgroups on the state SIRN system as encrypted — "2101 | T Enc | BARNES SO 1 | Sheriff Dispatch 1 | Law Dispatch" and "2102 | T Enc | BARNES SO 2 | Sheriff's Dispatch 2" — while four of the county's six mutual-aid talkgroups remain in the clear.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
What This Means
There is no partial access here: routine dispatch is encrypted alongside everything else, so a scanner picks up nothing from this agency at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Barnes County Sheriff's Dept. radio encrypted?
Yes. Barnes County Sheriff's Dept. uses P25 DES-OFB encryption. There is no partial access here: routine dispatch is encrypted alongside everything else, so a scanner picks up nothing from this agency at all.
Can I listen to Barnes County Sheriff's Dept. on a police scanner?
No. Barnes County Sheriff's Dept. has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 DES-OFB. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Barnes County Sheriff's Dept. 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 Barnes County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Barnes 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 Barnes County Sheriff's Dept. encryption?
File a FOIA request for Barnes County Sheriff's Dept.'s radio recordings and encryption-decision paperwork, then show up to speak at a council or commission meeting. Find other residents or journalists in Barnes 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.