Forest Hill Police
Tarrant, Texas
How we verified this
All 14 primary-layer Forest Hill PD talkgroups on the NTIRN page (dispatch, tac, CID, admin, talk 1-8, announcement) are flagged D Enc, matching the listed count, though the rarely-used Backup Layer 1 duplicates carry no encryption flag.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
View 14 talkgroups
| DEC | Alpha Tag | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6118 | FHPD Disp 1 | Police Dispatch | Encrypted |
| 6120 | FHPD 1 | Police PD 1 | Encrypted |
| 6122 | FHPD 2 | Police PD 2 | Encrypted |
| 6124 | FHPD Admin | Police Admin | Encrypted |
| 6126 | FHPD CID | Police CID | Encrypted |
| 6130 | FHPD Tact | Police Tactical | Encrypted |
| 6132 | FHPD Talk 1 | Police Talk 1 | Encrypted |
| 6134 | FHPD Talk 2 | Police Talk 2 | Encrypted |
| 6136 | FHPD Talk 3 | Police Talk 3 | Encrypted |
| 6138 | FHPD Talk 4 | Police Talk 4 | Encrypted |
| 6140 | FHPD Talk 5 | Police Talk 5 | Encrypted |
| 6142 | FHPD Talk 6 | Police Talk 6 | Encrypted |
| 6144 | FHPD Talk 7 | Police Talk 7 | Encrypted |
| 6146 | FHPD Talk 8 | Police Talk 8 | Encrypted |
Tarrant County Context
Forest Hill 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.
See every agency we track in Tarrant 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 Forest Hill Police radio encrypted?
Yes — Forest Hill Police's radio system runs on 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 Forest Hill Police on a police scanner?
No. Forest Hill Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Forest Hill Police encrypt their radio?
Officer safety and operational security are the reasons agencies give. What rarely comes with that explanation is Tarrant County-specific evidence that open communications ever caused a problem, while the loss of public oversight and the friction with still-unencrypted neighboring agencies are both immediate and real.
Can Tarrant County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes. Encryption is a policy choice made by department leadership or elected officials, not a technical requirement, so it can be reversed the same way. Public pressure, city council advocacy, and organized local coalitions have reversed encryption decisions elsewhere.
What can I do about Forest Hill Police encryption?
Start local: show up when Tarrant County officials discuss the budget for Forest Hill Police, and ask specifically why full encryption was chosen over a delayed feed or tactical-only approach. File a FOIA request for recordings or policy documents, and connect with others nearby who want the same information — a coordinated ask carries more weight than an individual one.