West Coast police encryption: California, Oregon, and Washington
The West Coast encryption story is messier than the headlines. Around Los Angeles, roughly 30 suburban departments have gone fully dark even as LAPD's own dispatch stays in the clear. Portland encrypted nine days after George Floyd's murder; Seattle deliberately kept dispatch open. Three states, three approaches — and one documented reversal, in Palo Alto, that shows it doesn't have to stay this way.
The West Coast went dark first—here's the stack that still works
San Diego (June 2025), Oakland (fall 2025), Portland (June 2020), Multnomah County (June 2024), and a ring of roughly 30 LA-area suburbs are encrypted, and SFPD runs partial encryption. But LAPD division dispatch, LASD station dispatch, CHP, and Seattle dispatch — plus federal, aviation, amateur, wildfire air ops, and NOAA weather — remain in the clear as of June 2026. Here's the gear listeners use to cover the open side.
Three states, three approaches
California has the most encryption activity of any state — but not where most people think. LAPD and CHP dispatch broadcast in the clear as of June 2026, while roughly 30 suburban departments around Los Angeles have gone fully dark, San Diego and Oakland encrypted in 2025, and San Jose is reported encrypted. Oregon's Portland Police went dark on June 3, 2020 — nine days after George Floyd's murder — blocking public monitoring of over 100 nights of demonstrations. Seattle kept dispatch open while encrypting tactical channels.
Palo Alto reversed its encryption after 20 months of sustained pressure from residents and a council member. Berkeley's debate showed that even cities with strong accountability traditions can lose that fight. Senator Josh Becker's SB 719 has twice tried to restore transparency statewide in California.
State-by-State Summary
California
Partial AccessRoughly 30 LA-area suburbs went dark while LAPD and CHP dispatch stayed in the clear (verified June 2026)
View full California analysisOregon
Heavily EncryptedPortland encrypted June 3, 2020; Multnomah County followed June 3, 2024
View full Oregon analysisWashington
Partial AccessSeattle's partial model preserves dispatch access
View full Washington analysisKey Cities Affected
Most of the West Coast's major cities have encrypted. Here is what that means for the 15+ million people in these metro areas.
| City | State | Status | Population | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | CA | Open | 3.9M | N/A | Division dispatch in the clear (verified June 2026) despite widespread reports to the contrary |
| San Francisco | CA | Partial | 870K | 2021 (reported) | Media access program preserves some transparency |
| Oakland | CA | Encrypted | 430K | 2025 | Encrypted in fall 2025 without council or police-commission approval |
| San Diego | CA | Encrypted | 1.4M | 2025 | Encrypted all radio traffic June 2, 2025, citing the CA DOJ mandate |
| Seattle | WA | Partial | 750K | 2021 | Dispatch open, tactical encrypted; regional model |
| Portland | OR | Encrypted | 650K | 2020 | Encrypted June 3, 2020 — nine days after George Floyd's murder |
California's October 2020 DOJ Directive: The Catalyst
What Happened
In October 2020, the California Department of Justice issued a directive requiring law enforcement agencies to protect personally identifiable information (PII) transmitted over radio. Departments across the state pointed to this directive as justification for encryption.
The Problem With This Argument
The California Highway Patrol and other agencies comply with the same directive without encrypting all communications. The CHP uses a partial-information model: officers read only portions of sensitive data over the radio, using cell phones for truly private details. Palo Alto's 2022 reversal adopted this exact approach.
The DOJ directive became a ready justification for departments that wanted to encrypt anyway. It was never a legal mandate for full encryption. Palo Alto's reversal proved the point.
Senator Josh Becker's SB 719: Fighting Back Through Legislation
The Bill
California State Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) introduced SB 719 in March 2022, directly citing Palo Alto's encryption as motivation. The bill would have required agencies to adopt alternatives to full encryption—similar to the CHP model—before implementing blanket encryption.
What It Would Do
- Require public hearings before encryption decisions
- Mandate consideration of partial-information alternatives
- Create transparency requirements for encrypted agencies
- Protect media access to public safety communications
Current Status
The original SB 719 faced opposition from law enforcement associations and stalled. Senator Becker has continued to advocate for transparency legislation, working with press freedom groups and community advocates. The fight for California legislation continues.
Why It Matters
California is the most encrypted state and the largest. Legislation here would put other states on notice. If California requires transparency provisions before encryption, other states face harder questions. SB 719 is the most direct legislative response to the encryption wave on the West Coast.
"The public has a right to know what their police are doing. We can protect sensitive information without blocking all public access to police communications."— Senator Josh Becker, on introducing SB 719
Success Stories: Proof That Reversal Is Possible
Palo Alto: 20 Months to Transparency
Councilman Greer Stone led a sustained campaign that proved encryption reversal is possible. The department adopted the CHP model—partial information over radio, cell phones for sensitive details—demonstrating that DOJ compliance doesn't require full encryption.
Read the full Palo Alto case studyBerkeley: Progressive City Struggles
Berkeley's encryption vote revealed tensions even in progressive cities. Despite Berkeley Copwatch's decades of police monitoring and media opposition, the council approved encryption 8-1. The debate exposed how even communities with strong accountability traditions can succumb to police department pressure.
Read about Berkeley's debateWest Coast Encryption Timeline
Portland encrypts during protests
Nine days after George Floyd's murder; 100+ nights of demonstrations go unmonitored
CA DOJ issues PII protection directive
Agencies cite compliance as encryption justification
SF and San Jose reported encrypting
Bay Area access shrinks
Seattle implements partial encryption
Alternative model emerges
SB 719 (Becker) introduced
First major legislative response
Palo Alto reverses encryption
Proof that reversal is possible
Multnomah County and Gresham (OR) encrypt
Four years to the day after Portland; metro largely dark
San Diego PD encrypts all radio traffic
America's 8th largest city goes dark
Oakland encrypts bypassing oversight; SB 719 reintroduced
Encryption without council approval under federal oversight
LAPD and CHP verified broadcasting in the clear
Corrects years of misreporting; the encrypted core is the LA suburbs
Patterns Unique to the West Coast
Several patterns on the West Coast don't appear to the same degree elsewhere.
Tech industry influence
The West Coast's concentration of technology workers produces unusually informed public comment. Speakers at council meetings regularly cite technical literature on encryption's security limits. Yet the tech companies themselves have stayed quiet, even when their own employees push back locally.
Protest coverage connection
Portland, Oakland, and Seattle all experienced significant 2020 protests—and all three cities accelerated or implemented encryption during or shortly after. The timing was not coincidental. Portland encrypted just nine days after George Floyd's murder. Oakland finalized encryption amid federal oversight concerns. The pattern suggests encryption served to block protest monitoring, not protect officer safety.
Wildfire and disaster context
California's wildfire seasons have grown longer and more destructive each decade. In communities whose departments have encrypted, residents who once used scanners for fire updates now wait for official notifications that lag the ground situation. Wildfire air operations and NOAA weather remain in the clear statewide, but local evacuation coordination goes dark wherever police dispatch is encrypted. That gap recurs every fire season.
Strong open government traditions
California's Public Records Act and Washington's open government statutes have long been cited as national models. Portland's encryption felt particularly abrupt given Oregon's accessible-government reputation. In each state, encryption cut against decades of established practice.
Progressive politics, surprising outcomes
A progressive political reputation hasn't protected scanner transparency. Berkeley voted 8-1 for encryption. Oakland encrypted in 2025 while under federal oversight — without council approval. Portland switched nine days into the 2020 protests. Police departments made their case to progressive councils and won. Political orientation turns out to be a poor predictor of encryption outcomes.
Regional coordination and spread
Encryption spreads regionally. Around Los Angeles, suburb after suburb followed its neighbors until roughly 30 departments had gone dark. Seattle's partial model shaped how other Puget Sound agencies approached the question. Portland encrypted in June 2020; Multnomah County and Gresham followed on the same date in 2024. The same dynamic that created the encryption wave could theoretically work in reverse, though it hasn't yet.
Take Action: Regional Resources
California
- Contact your state senator and assemblymember to support SB 719 and similar transparency legislation
- The California News Publishers Association has opposed encryption and can coordinate media pressure
- The First Amendment Coalition provides legal resources and advocacy support
- Many California cities have civilian police commissions that can directly address encryption decisions
Oregon
- Oregon could follow Colorado's lead in requiring media access policies — push legislators for a state bill
- ACLU of Oregon is active on police accountability and a natural coalition partner
- Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association has experience in transparency advocacy
- Portland City Council now has 12 district members with oversight authority
Washington
- Seattle's partial-encryption model preserves meaningful dispatch access — advocate for maintaining it as PSERN expands
- Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington provides press freedom advocacy infrastructure
- Washington Coalition for Open Government has public records expertise useful in encryption fights
- The PSERN regional upgrade creates a window to require transparency provisions before systems go live
Where things stand
The West Coast's encryption story is still being written. A ring of roughly 30 departments around Los Angeles has gone dark, Portland's protest-era encryption blocked accountability during historic demonstrations, and San Diego and Oakland followed in 2025 — even as LAPD and CHP dispatch remain in the clear as of June 2026.
But Palo Alto proved reversal is possible. Seattle showed that partial encryption can preserve meaningful access. Senator Becker's legislation represents a serious effort to restore transparency at the state level. And across the region, advocates continue fighting.
West Coast communities have lost substantial access. Whether that loss becomes permanent depends on whether advocates keep pushing.
Take Action for Transparency
Your voice matters. Here are concrete ways to advocate for open police communications in your community.
Contact Your Representatives
Use our templates to email your local officials about police radio encryption policies.
Get StartedRead Case Studies
See how encryption has affected real communities - from Highland Park to Chicago.
View CasesSpread Awareness
Share evidence about police radio encryption with your network and community.
Public Testimony
Learn how to speak effectively at city council and public safety meetings.
Prepare to SpeakWhat you can do
Encryption is a policy choice, not a technical requirement. Here are the next steps that have worked in your area and elsewhere.
Sources
- California DOJ PII Protection Directive (October 2020)
- SB 719 Legislative Analysis, California State Senate (2022)
- Palo Alto Online: Police Radio Encryption Coverage (2021-2022)
- OPB: Portland Police Encryption During Protests (2020)
- Seattle Times: PSERN and Regional Encryption Policies (2025-2026)
- RadioReference database and Broadcastify live feeds: LAPD, LASD, and CHP status verification (June 2026)
- San Francisco Chronicle: SFPD Media Access Program (2021-2022)
- Berkeleyside: Berkeley Encryption Debate (2023)
- Oakland Tribune: OPD Encryption Under Federal Oversight (2020)
- California News Publishers Association: Encryption Opposition Statements