Franklin & Marshall College Police
Erie, Pennsylvania
How we verified this
RadioReference shows the Franklin & Marshall College Public Safety talkgroup (TG 3216, Law Dispatch) with no encryption flag on the Lancaster County system, contradicting the listed encrypted status; the input's Erie county is also wrong since the college operates on Lancaster County's system.
Encryption Details
Erie County Context
Franklin & Marshall College Police isn't an outlier here: 9 of the 10 public-safety agencies we track in Erie County are fully encrypted (90%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Erie County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
This agency was previously listed as encrypted, but verification against live sources on 2026-08-01 found its dispatch broadcasting in the clear. Any P25-capable scanner can receive it — confirm current status on the live RadioReference database, since encryption decisions can change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Franklin & Marshall College Police radio encrypted?
No. Despite earlier listings, Franklin & Marshall College Police broadcasts in the clear. This agency was previously listed as encrypted, but verification against live sources on 2026-08-01 found its dispatch broadcasting in the clear. Any P25-capable scanner can receive it — confirm current status on the live RadioReference database, since encryption decisions can change.
Can I listen to Franklin & Marshall College Police on a police scanner?
Yes. Verification against live sources found Franklin & Marshall College Police's dispatch broadcasting in the clear — any P25-capable scanner can receive it. Check RadioReference for frequencies and current status.
Why do agencies like Franklin & Marshall College Police 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 police department response as it happens.
Can Erie County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Erie 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 Franklin & Marshall College Police encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Franklin & Marshall College Police's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Erie County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.