Reading Township Police
Adams, Pennsylvania
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists "Reading Twp PD Tac" and both Adams County police dispatch talkgroups as fully encrypted on the South Central Interoperability Network.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Adams County Context
Reading Township Police isn't an outlier here: 13 of the 16 public-safety agencies we track in Adams County are fully encrypted (81%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Adams County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
Everything this agency transmits is encrypted, dispatch included. For anyone outside the department — residents, reporters, neighbouring responders — the channel is simply silent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Reading Township Police radio encrypted?
Yes — Reading Township Police's radio system runs on P25 AES-256 encryption. Everything this agency transmits is encrypted, dispatch included. For anyone outside the department — residents, reporters, neighbouring responders — the channel is simply silent.
Can I listen to Reading Township Police on a police scanner?
No. Reading Township Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Reading Township Police encrypt their radio?
Departments typically point to officer safety and operational security. Neither claim tends to come with evidence specific to Adams County; what's verifiable is what's lost — journalists can't monitor police department activity in real time, and coordination with agencies that stay unencrypted gets harder.
Can Adams County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes. Whoever made this call for Reading Township Police 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 Reading Township Police encryption?
Contact the officials who oversee Reading Township 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 Adams County, or start one, since agencies respond differently to organized, sustained pressure than to individual complaints.