I live in east central Alabama, most of the systems i monitor are analog VHF and UHF the only digital system I want to monitor is Opelika PD/FD's Motorola type 2 smart zone
Well, looks like they don't encrypt, there are a few scanners you can look at. Radio Shack has just lowered the price of the Pro96 & 2096, and if you want the Uniden or GRE your looking at $500.00. Radio Shack may be coming out with a new scanner, and also possibly Uniden. I would suggest reading up on the digital scanners in the Wiki section here and see what scanner meets your needs. There is also Ebay, although I won't buy through them, you may find something cheaper there...
You can also check the For Sale Forum here on RR...