Police Department Fully Encrypted Discovered via RadioReference

Burleson Police

Tarrant, Texas

How we verified this

All 8 Burleson PD talkgroups on the NTIRN page (dispatch, dispatch 2, tactical, SWAT 1/2, special event, traffic, marshal) are flagged D Enc while fire remains clear; note the city is primarily in Johnson County, not Tarrant as listed.

Checked against a primary source on 2026-08-01: radioreference.com . Encryption status changes without notice — confirm the current picture on the live RadioReference database before relying on it.

What you can do right now

Encryption Details

Encryption Type P25 AES-256
Scope Discovered via RadioReference (8 encrypted talkgroups)
Technical Details Inferred from RadioReference

Verified Talkgroup Data

Verified Aug 1, 2026 Low confidence
8 Total Talkgroups
8 Encrypted
0 Unencrypted
100% Encrypted
Radio System: North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN)
View 8 talkgroups
DEC Alpha Tag Description Status
6664 Bur PD Disp Police Dispatch Encrypted
6665 Bur PD Disp2 Police Dispatch 2 Encrypted
6666 Bur PD Tac Police Tactical Encrypted
6667 Bur PD SWAT1 SWAT 1 Encrypted
6668 Bur PD SWAT2 SWAT 2 Encrypted
6669 Bur PD Spec Police Special Event Encrypted
6670 Bur PD Traff Police Traffic Encrypted
6671 Bur PD Marsh Police Marshal Encrypted

Tarrant County Context

Burleson Police isn't an outlier here: 9 of the 10 public-safety agencies we track in Tarrant County are fully encrypted (90%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.

What This Means

All traffic, including the day-to-day dispatch that used to be the public's window into police activity, now runs encrypted. Nothing from this department is receivable.

See encryption status nationwide Interactive map showing which US police departments have encrypted their radios. Open the encryption map →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Burleson Police radio encrypted?

Yes. Burleson Police uses P25 AES-256 encryption. All traffic, including the day-to-day dispatch that used to be the public's window into police activity, now runs encrypted. Nothing from this department is receivable.

Can I listen to Burleson Police on a police scanner?

No. Burleson Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.

Why did Burleson Police encrypt their radio?

The reasons offered are almost always the same two: officer safety and operational security. Whether either was tested against a real Tarrant County incident is rarely part of the public record, whereas the consequences are easy to observe — no real-time accountability, and neighbouring agencies still in the clear left working around the gap.

Can Tarrant County reverse the encryption decision?

Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Tarrant 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 Burleson Police encryption?

Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Burleson Police's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Tarrant County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.

Data source: RadioReference Wiki + RadioReference API (verified)

Checked against a primary source on 2026-08-01 — see "How we verified this" above. Encryption status changes; confirm at RadioReference before relying on it.

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