Don't buy the wrong scanner.
Police in a lot of counties have gone encrypted. Pick your county and see what's still on the air (police, fire and EMS), with the date we checked and which scanner picks it up.
Counties checked so far
The problem
You've heard your local police “went encrypted.” Maybe you're about to spend $400 or more on a scanner. Maybe you're buying one for your dad.
The box says “police scanner.” It doesn't say whether your county's police are still on the air.
People find out after they buy.
One buyer paid about $150 for a new scanner and called it “basically worthless” once they learned their state's channels were digital and encrypted.
Others never hear anything but the weather.
What it costs to guess
Buy too cheap
and you get an analog scanner that can't decode the digital system your county uses. It sits in a drawer.
Buy too much
and you spend $700 to listen for police who are fully encrypted. No scanner hears that.
Rely on a generic app
and you get whatever volunteer feeds still exist. When police encrypt, those feeds go quiet too.
How it works
- 1Pick your county.
- 2See what's still open for police, fire and EMS, each with the date we checked it and the source.
- 3See the scanner that hears it, and the ones to skip.
The three kinds of scanner, in plain words
Prices as of 19 Oct 2026.
1. Analog, about $115–140
These pick up plain, old-style radio. In a county where fire still runs on analog channels, they work, and they're the cheapest way in. They can't decode digital systems. That's why some owners say theirs “does not receive police.”
Examples: Whistler WS1010 ($114.99), Uniden BC365CRS ($124.27), Uniden BC125AT ($137.65), all on Amazon.
2. Digital (P25 Phase II), about $350–600
Many counties now run police, fire and EMS on a digital system called P25. “Phase II” is the newer version. A scanner needs to say P25 Phase II on the box to follow it.
Examples: Whistler WS1065 ($351.49), Uniden BCD436HP ($525.00), Uniden BCD536HP ($585.27), all on Amazon.
3. Digital with simulcast support, about $690–950
Some big systems broadcast the same call from several towers at once (“simulcast”). Older digital scanners can struggle with that. These models are built to handle it.
Examples: Uniden SDS100 ($689.99), SDS200 ($749.99), SDS150 ($949.99), all on Amazon.
Encrypted means nothing hears it. If a channel is encrypted, no scanner you can buy will play it: not the $950 one, and not a “decoder.” We say so plainly on every county page.
FAQ
If it's encrypted, isn't every scanner useless?
For the encrypted channels, yes. No scanner can hear them, and we'll never tell you otherwise. But encryption is usually partial. In most of our launch counties, fire and EMS dispatch is still open. Each county page shows what's still on the air.
Why not just use a free app?
Apps play feeds that volunteers stream. When police encrypt, or the volunteer stops, the feed goes offline. A scanner listens to the radio directly, so if fire is on the air in your county, you hear it, with no feed to drop and no subscription.
I only care about police. Is there any point?
Maybe not, and we'd rather you know before you buy. If your county's police are fully encrypted, the county page says so first. Some people still want fire, EMS and storm coverage. If you don't, save your money.
Isn't fire going encrypted too?
In some places it is. That's why every status shows the date we checked it. In Fairfax County, the fire department said it has “no plans in the future to encrypt our primary radio channels” (FFXnow, 14 Jul 2026). Where it's uncertain, we say so.
Won't everything be encrypted soon anyway?
Some places will change, and some won't. We date every status, and we flag a county when an agency has announced a change. Check your county page before you buy, not a year before.
$400–$700 is a lot. Can I spend less?
Yes, if your county allows it. Where the channels that are still open are analog, a $115–140 scanner is the right buy, and we'll say so. We only point you to a digital model when your county's open channels need one.
Aren't scanners hard to program?
Some are. Reviewers call one popular model “mind-numbingly difficult to program.” ScannerMaster sells scanners pre-programmed, and each county page links to them.
Can't I use a cheap USB radio and a computer instead?
You can, if you're comfortable with technical software. It can decode clear digital traffic, but the setup has a steep learning curve. If you want to switch it on and listen, a scanner is simpler.
Doesn't my county publish call logs now?
Some counties do. Johnson County agencies publish 24-hour call logs, for example. They come after the fact and don't tell you what's happening right now. They're worth knowing about, and county pages link to them where they exist.
Is the check free?
Yes. We earn a small commission if you buy a scanner through our links. That doesn't change the price you pay.