Virginia Beach Police Department
Virginia Beach, Virginia
How we verified this
As of August 2026 RadioReference's "Overlay Regional InterOperability Network (ORION)" lists all six Virginia Beach police dispatch talkgroups as encrypted — "VBPD 1 Disp | 1 1st Dispatch | D Enc" through "VBPD 6 Disp | 6 Resort Dispatch | D Enc" — with only "VBPD 14 MutA | 14 Mutual Aid | D" unencrypted.
Encryption Details
Verified Talkgroup Data
Virginia Beach County Context
Virginia Beach Police Department isn't an outlier here: 2 of the 2 public-safety agencies we track in Virginia Beach County are fully encrypted (100%), so most departments nearby have made the same move.
See every agency we track in Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach Police Department radio encrypted?
Yes. Virginia Beach Police Department 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 Virginia Beach Police Department on a police scanner?
No. Virginia Beach Police Department has fully encrypted their radio communications using P25 AES-256. No consumer scanner can decode encrypted transmissions.
Why did Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach Police Department to know what was happening nearby.
Can Virginia Beach County reverse the encryption decision?
Yes — nothing about the underlying radio technology forces this. It's a decision Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach Police Department encryption?
Put the question to whoever signs off on Virginia Beach Police Department's radio budget: why full encryption rather than a delayed feed or tactical-only channels? File for the recordings and the decision documents alongside it, and link up with neighbours and local reporters in Virginia Beach County so the ask arrives as a group rather than a one-off.