Stanley Police Dept.
Mountrail, North Dakota
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists Stanley's single police talkgroup on the state SIRN system as encrypted — "31108 | T Enc | STANLEY PD MAIN | Stanley Police Dept Main | Law Dispatch" — while Stanley's fire and public-works frequencies in the Mountrail County listing remain analog and in the clear.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Mountrail County Context
Stanley Police Dept. isn't an outlier here: 2 of the 2 public-safety agencies we track in Mountrail County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Mountrail County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
This agency encrypts all of its radio communications, including routine dispatch. The public, journalists, and even other first responders can't monitor its activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stanley Police Dept. radio encrypted?
Yes. Stanley Police Dept. uses P25 DES-OFB encryption. This agency encrypts all of its radio communications, including routine dispatch. The public, journalists, and even other first responders can't monitor its activity.
Can I listen to Stanley Police Dept. on a police scanner?
No. Stanley Police Dept. has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 DES-OFB. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Stanley Police Dept. 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 Stanley Police Dept. to know what was happening nearby.
Can Mountrail 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 Mountrail County officials are policies those officials can revisit when constituents press for it.
What can I do about Stanley Police Dept. encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Stanley Police Dept.'s encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Mountrail County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.