Are All Police Going Encrypted by October 2026? What's Actually Happening
Short answer: no. There is no federal law, FCC ruling, or DOJ rule requiring U.S. police agencies to encrypt all of their radio traffic by October 2026. The FBI's CJIS Security Policy does require criminal justice information sent over radio to be encrypted, but it covers that information, not all radio traffic, and names no October 2026 radio deadline. The encryption wave is real, but it is likely being driven by state-level guidance, agency-level interpretations of FBI CJIS requirements, and local policy decisions — not a nationwide deadline. This page explains what is actually happening, why the October 2026 rumor exists, and what determines whether your local police will encrypt.
Where the October 2026 rumor comes from
The claim that "all police are going encrypted by October 2026" likely circulates online. The most likely sources of confusion:
- FBI CJIS Security Policy revisions. The current version (v6.1, June 25, 2026) names no October 2026 deadline for radio encryption. Its in-transit encryption controls (SC-8, SC-13) apply to criminal justice information, not all radio traffic. Both are marked "[Existing] [Priority 2]": the parts carried over from version 5.9 have been sanctionable since October 1, 2024, and Priority 2 modernized changes, such as SC-13's "at least 256-bit" key strength, are in a zero-cycle status that ends September 30, 2027. SC-13 also says FIPS 140-2 certificates will not be acceptable after September 21, 2026.
- Michigan State Police guidance. In its May 2025 guidance, the Michigan State Police told the state's CJIS user agencies that criminal justice information sent over radio must be encrypted, and that it would not impose its own sanctions until October 1, 2026. That date is real, but it applies only in Michigan.
- FCC narrowbanding (2013). On January 1, 2013, public safety and business/industrial land mobile radio systems operating in the 150–512 MHz bands had to cease operating with 25 kHz efficiency technology (FCC narrowbanding); the FCC later waived the deadline for the 470–512 MHz T-Band. Narrowbanding is about spectrum efficiency, not about hiding voice content. The two are sometimes conflated in casual reporting.
- California's 2020 DOJ bulletin. Information Bulletin 20-09-CJIS (October 12, 2020) told CLETS agencies that radio transmission of sensitive criminal justice information and personally identifiable information must be encrypted, or that they could instead establish policy restricting what is broadcast, and asked agencies not in compliance to submit an implementation plan by December 31, 2020. That was a 2020 date for California, not a national 2026 one.
What is actually driving encryption
State-level guidance
California DOJ's Information Bulletin 20-09-CJIS (October 12, 2020) told all CLETS subscribing agencies that access to certain criminal justice information and personally identifiable information must be limited to authorized personnel and that "the transmission of such information must be encrypted," adding that the bulletin is "particularly relevant to the radio transmission of protected data." CLETS is California's law enforcement telecommunications system.
The bulletin did not require encryption of all radio traffic. It said compliance could be achieved either by encrypting radio traffic or by establishing policy to restrict dissemination of restricted CJI and combinations of personal data elements over the air. The Michigan State Police's May 2025 guidance plays a similar role in Michigan.
FBI CJIS Security Policy interpretations
The CJIS Security Policy's in-transit controls (SC-8 and SC-13 in v6.1) require criminal justice information sent outside a physically secure location to be encrypted, and SC-8 names radios among the devices covered. They cover CJI, not all radio traffic. In our reading, that can be met by encrypting the channels that carry CJI or by keeping CJI off open channels, as California's bulletin allows.
In our reading, encrypting all radio traffic is a policy choice, not a CJIS requirement.
Local agency policy decisions
How much to encrypt is decided agency by agency. In Kansas, Lyon County's 2024 announcement called its move not a policy change but "a mandate by CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) and FBI" (KWCH), yet when Sedgwick County announced encryption of its law enforcement channels for April 28, 2026, citing the same policy, it said radio traffic would not be impacted on fire and EMS channels where CJI isn't being transmitted (Sedgwick County). In our reading, the policy leaves each agency to decide which channels carry CJI and must be encrypted.
What actually changes in 2026
The Bing query "are all police going encrypted by october 2026" gets thousands of impressions because people are watching their local agencies announce encryption timelines and concluding (incorrectly) that there's a national deadline behind it. What you are seeing is the cumulative effect of hundreds of independent local decisions, not a coordinated rollout.
Some specific 2026 events that may be feeding the rumor:
- The Michigan State Police's October 1, 2026 sanctions date, which applies only to Michigan agencies, is easy to mistake for a national one.
None of this is a federal mandate. None of this affects every U.S. agency. None of it sets a national October 2026 deadline.
What this means for you
If your local agency has already encrypted, the policy debate is about reversal — pursuing FOIA delayed-feed agreements and supporting state-level press-access legislation modeled on Colorado HB21-1250.
If your local agency has not yet encrypted, the debate is about prevention — engaging city council members and county commissioners on preserving open radio access before any decision is made. Detroit, whose police dispatch was still live on Broadcastify as of October 12, 2026 while Grand Rapids and several suburbs had encrypted, shows the encryption wave is not inevitable.
Either way, the date that matters is not October 2026. It is the next agenda item on your local police-oversight body or city council where this decision is actually being made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all police going encrypted by October 2026?
No. No federal law or rule requires U.S. police agencies to encrypt all of their radio traffic by October 2026. The FBI's CJIS Security Policy does require criminal justice information (CJI) sent over radio outside a physically secure location to be encrypted, and the parts of that requirement carried over from policy version 5.9 have been sanctionable since October 1, 2024, but it covers CJI rather than all radio traffic and sets no October 2026 radio deadline. The encryption wave is real, but it is likely driven by state guidance (such as California DOJ's October 2020 bulletin on CLETS data and the Michigan State Police's May 2025 guidance), FBI CJIS requirements for criminal justice information, and individual agency policy choices — not a nationwide deadline.
Is there a federal mandate to encrypt all police radios?
No. The FCC has not issued a nationwide encryption mandate. The FCC narrowbanding deadline sometimes confused with encryption mandates was January 1, 2013: public safety and business/industrial land mobile radio systems in the 150–512 MHz bands had to stop operating with 25 kHz efficiency technology (the FCC later waived the deadline for the 470–512 MHz T-Band). That was about spectrum efficiency, not about encrypting voice content. The FBI's CJIS Security Policy, which does cover criminal justice information sent over radio, is addressed below. Encryption remains a policy decision made at the agency or state level.
What's actually driving the encryption wave then?
Likely three forces: state guidance such as California DOJ's October 2020 Information Bulletin 20-09-CJIS, which told CLETS agencies that radio transmission of sensitive criminal justice information and personally identifiable information must be encrypted, or that they could instead restrict by policy what is broadcast; the FBI CJIS Security Policy, which agencies such as Sedgwick County and Douglas County, Kansas cite; and agency choices to encrypt everything rather than restrict what goes over the air. California's bulletin explicitly offers the policy alternative.
Did the FBI CJIS rules require police to encrypt by October 2026?
No. The current CJIS Security Policy (v6.1, June 25, 2026) requires encryption of criminal justice information (CJI) sent outside a physically secure location (controls SC-8 and SC-13) and lists radios among the devices covered, but it names no radio-encryption deadline. Both controls are marked "[Existing] [Priority 2]": the parts carried over from version 5.9 have been sanctionable since October 1, 2024, while Priority 2 modernized changes are in a zero-cycle status that ends September 30, 2027; SC-13's "at least 256-bit" key strength appears to be one of them (the Michigan State Police described the October 2024 requirement as at least 128-bit). SC-13 also says FIPS 140-2 certificates will not be acceptable after September 21, 2026. The October 1, 2026 date comes from the Michigan State Police, which told Michigan agencies it would not impose its own sanctions until then. In our reading the controls cover CJI rather than all radio traffic; California DOJ's 2020 bulletin, for example, lets agencies comply by restricting by policy what CJI and personal information is broadcast.
Will my local police definitely encrypt by 2026?
Not necessarily. Encryption is a local policy choice. Detroit's police dispatch, for example, was still live on Broadcastify as of October 12, 2026, even as nearby suburbs encrypted. Colorado HB21-1250 (2021) requires a police department or sheriff's office that encrypts all of its radio to adopt a policy governing media access to primary dispatch channels or talk groups. Whether your city encrypts depends on local elected officials and policy advocacy.
What can I do if I'm worried about encryption?
Check your city's current status using the encryption map. If your local agencies have not yet encrypted, contact your city council members about preserving open radio policy or supporting model legislation. If they already have encrypted, FOIA requests for delayed-feed access and supporting state-level press-access bills are the proven paths forward.
Sources and further reading
- Colorado HB21-1250 — Colorado's 2021 requirement that agencies encrypting all radio adopt a media access policy
- P25 Encryption Explained — the technical detail of how AES-256 encryption is implemented in modern police systems
- California Police Radio Encryption — how California agencies responded to the 2020 DOJ CLETS bulletin
- California DOJ Information Bulletin 20-09-CJIS (October 12, 2020)
- FCC: Narrowbanding
- FOIA Templates — request encrypted-radio policies, retention, and delayed-feed terms from your local agency
- Is My City Encrypted? — search 2,300+ U.S. agencies for current encryption status
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