City of Friendsswood
Galveston, Texas
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference flags Friendswood Police Dispatch, Patrol, Information, CID, Surveillance and SWAT as encrypted on TxWARN, while the Friendswood Fire/EMS channels and the police city-event and interop talkgroups are listed in the clear.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Galveston County Context
City of Friendsswood isn't an outlier here: 2 of the 3 public-safety agencies we track in Galveston County are fully encrypted (67%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Galveston 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 City of Friendsswood radio encrypted?
Yes. City of Friendsswood uses P25 AES-256 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 City of Friendsswood on a police scanner?
No. City of Friendsswood has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did City of Friendsswood 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 City of Friendsswood to know what was happening nearby.
Can Galveston 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 Galveston County officials are policies those officials can revisit when constituents press for it.
What can I do about City of Friendsswood encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for City of Friendsswood's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Galveston County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.