Henrico County Police Department
Henrico, Virginia
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference's "Richmond/Henrico/Chesterfield" system lists every Henrico police district dispatch channel as encrypted — "HCPD North | North | D Enc," "HCPD South," "HCPD Central," "HCPD West" and the four tactical channels — with only an announcement talkgroup and "HCPD B/E Alarms | Breaking and Entering Alarms | A" left in the clear.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Henrico County Context
Henrico County Police Department isn't an outlier here: 2 of the 2 public-safety agencies we track in Henrico County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Henrico County → County encryption overview →
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Henrico County Police Department radio encrypted?
Yes. Henrico County Police Department uses P25 DES-OFB 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 Henrico County Police Department on a police scanner?
No. Henrico County Police Department has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 DES-OFB. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Henrico County Police Department 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 Henrico County Police Department to know what was happening nearby.
Can Henrico County reverse the encryption decision?
Nothing technical prevents it. Henrico County Police Department operates encrypted because someone decided it should, and decisions of that kind get revisited when councils hear sustained, organised pressure rather than isolated complaints.
What can I do about Henrico County Police Department encryption?
Three things carry weight, in this order: a public-records request for Henrico County Police Department's encryption policy and radio recordings, a turn at the microphone during Henrico County budget discussions, and finding the other people locally already asking the same question. Individually these are easy to deflect; together they are not.