Findlay Police
Hancock, Ohio
How we verified this
A March 2010 RadioReference thread quoting a Courier newspaper article documents Findlay PD encrypting everyday operations when it went live on the state's Multi-Agency Radio Communications System on May 3, 2010, and the current Broadcastify Hancock County feed description (broadcastify.com/listen/ctid/2071) states 'Findlay Police can no longer be heard on any type of scanner.'
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
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 Findlay Police radio encrypted?
Yes — Findlay Police's radio system runs on 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 Findlay Police on a police scanner?
No. Findlay Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 DES-OFB. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Findlay Police encrypt their radio?
Officer safety and operational security are the reasons agencies give. What rarely comes with that explanation is Hancock County-specific evidence that open communications ever caused a problem, while the loss of public oversight and the friction with still-unencrypted neighboring agencies are both immediate and real.
Can Hancock County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes, and some departments already have. Because encryption here is a choice rather than a technical necessity, the path back runs through the same people who chose it: budget hearings, records requests, and residents who keep asking in public.
What can I do about Findlay Police encryption?
Contact the officials who oversee Findlay Police'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 Hancock County, or start one, since agencies respond differently to organized, sustained pressure than to individual complaints.