City of Shenandoah
Montgomery, Texas
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference flags the Shenandoah Police and Police Supervisors talkgroups on TxWARN as encrypted, and the Montgomery County Sheriff dispatch channel that dispatches Shenandoah is also flagged encrypted, so the recorded public-works-only scope understates the situation.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Montgomery County Context
City of Shenandoah isn't an outlier here: 5 of the 5 public-safety agencies we track in Montgomery County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Montgomery County → County encryption overview →
What This Means
There is no partial access here: routine dispatch is encrypted alongside everything else, so a scanner picks up nothing from this agency at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is City of Shenandoah radio encrypted?
Yes. City of Shenandoah uses P25 AES-256 encryption. There is no partial access here: routine dispatch is encrypted alongside everything else, so a scanner picks up nothing from this agency at all.
Can I listen to City of Shenandoah on a police scanner?
No. City of Shenandoah has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did City of Shenandoah 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 Shenandoah to know what was happening nearby.
Can Montgomery County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Montgomery 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 City of Shenandoah encryption?
File a FOIA request for City of Shenandoah's radio recordings and encryption-decision paperwork, then show up to speak at a council or commission meeting. Find other residents or journalists in Montgomery County who want the same access — state legislation requiring public radio access is the longer-term fix, but organized local pressure is what usually moves the needle first.