Colchester Police
Chittenden, Vermont
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference lists both Colchester police channels in P25E (encrypted) mode — "453.750 Colchester PD | Police Primary" and "460.075 Colchester PD 4" — while Colchester Fire remains analog FMN in the clear.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Chittenden County Context
Colchester Police isn't an outlier here: 6 of the 6 public-safety agencies we track in Chittenden County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Chittenden 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 Colchester Police radio encrypted?
Yes. Colchester Police uses 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 Colchester Police on a police scanner?
No. Colchester Police has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Colchester 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 Chittenden 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 Chittenden County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Chittenden 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 Colchester Police encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Colchester Police's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Chittenden County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.