Phoenix Metro Public Safety

[TRGNM]

Hello, I'm in Albuquerque but I visit Chandler and the North Phoenix, Deer Valley area regularly. Here in Albuquerque, Police and Fire are encrypted. I was wondering if that's the same situation in the Phx metro.

I currently have a Whistler WS1080 but a Uniden SDS100 might be in my future.

Any comments and or recommendations are appreciated.

 

[MEDIC135]

All of FD is in the clear
Some PD is encrypted I believe but don’t quote me on that
You can also look up all this info on your own in the database

 

[ChrisABQ]

AFR and BCFR are NOT enc in ABQ.

 

[KB7MIB]

Full Encryption in the Phoenix metro area:
El Mirage PD
Goodyear PD
Buckeye PD
Luke AFB Security Forces
Wickenburg PD (just outside to the northwest of the metro area)
Scottsdale PD
Tempe PD
Mesa PD
Queen Creek PD
Ft. McDowell Indian PD
Salt River Indian PD
Gila River Indian PD
Pinal County Sheriff's Office (just to the south and east of the metro area).

Other law enforcement agencies, their main dispatch is in the clear, but Tac/Hot/Chase, Car-to-Car, Info, detectives, etc are typically encrypted.

Phoenix FD RDC has a couple of encrypted talkgroups, but they are typically reserved for VIP visits, and assisting PD with SWAT ops, etc. (SWAT medics are typically FD medics.)

I don't know if Mesa FD RDC has the same.

Otherwise, Phoenix FD RDC and Mesa FD RDC have both VHF-High conventional channels, and 700 MHz P25 (with some P25 Phase II) talkgroups.

John
Peoria

 

[rdmcvicar]

Nice summary by John on encryption. Still plenty of clear patrol in the areas you mention as to PHXPD on RWC Simulcast A, Chandler on Simulcast C and fire/EMS on Simulcast B (plus that VHF conventional if you're in range).

Please feel free to DM. I'm also a regular visitor to north Phoenix and even with all the great knowledge here can find it pretty overwhelming. If your Whistler doesn't receive well I may have another idea (plus, I'd like to ask you something about ABQ.)

 

[GlobalNorth]

Much of Phoenix PD is encrypted. PFD has one channel - K Deck 4, that is encrypted. Some smaller PDs are totally encrypted.

If you visit Maricopa County, the one scanner to have is a SDS100 or a SDS200.

 

[KB7MIB]

As I understand it, K5 is also now encrypted, or there are plans to make it a second encrypted TG. (I've heard it clear in the past, but very rarely is it used.)
All of the E4 & E5 TG's for the various other departments under the PFDRDC umbrella are also supposed to be encrypted. I've seen an encrypted E4 or two pop up. E2 & E3 are in the clear, and I've heard a couple of them being used for baseball Spring training games, hydrant checks, training exercises, etc.
Then of course, there are the rest of the D/E/F-deck TG's that are encrypted, for investigators, medic-to-hospital, and various admin needs.
But, most of the action is in the clear.

John
Peoria

 

[TRGNM]

Thank you all for your replies. This was very helpful.

 

[KB7MIB]

I should add, ASU PD uses partial encryption. Their dispatcher is in the clear, but the officers are encrypted.
Also, I have only seen their ch 2 active, TG 18002, from the ASU West campus site.

John
Peoria

 

[Mikewaz5]

Much of Phoenix PD is encrypted. PFD has one channel - K Deck 4, that is encrypted. Some smaller PDs are totally encrypted.

If you visit Maricopa County, the one scanner to have is a SDS100 or a SDS200.

I live in Phoenix and use a BCD325P2 and works great

 

[ScanRafael]

What on earth is the purpose of encrypting the VHF patch talkgroups?

 

[w0nwa]

It seems RR pulled PPD's B and C decks.

 

[w0nwa]

Anyone know of ANY NXDN stuff in AZ that is NOT encrypted? I have a Whistler TRX-1 and a SDS-100

 

[KB7MIB]

It seems RR pulled PPD's B and C decks.

No, they're still there, under Phoenix Police Miscellaneous.

John
Peoria

 

[w0nwa]

No, they're still there, under Phoenix Police Miscellaneous.

John
Peoria

Hmmm ill check thanks.

 

[radiochuck]

What on earth is the purpose of encrypting the VHF patch talkgroups?

I could never figure that out either.

 

[Ravenfalls]

Anyone know of ANY NXDN stuff in AZ that is NOT encrypted? I have a Whistler TRX-1 and a SDS-100

In Navajo County, regional fire. Digital, heard NXDN?? Small scanning community and they do not submit info to the RR database

 

[Ravenfalls]

AJ PD upgraded radios and Motorola enabled ENC

 

[w0nwa]

In Navajo County, regional fire. Digital, heard NXDN?? Small scanning community and they do not submit info to the RR database

Any listener can submit freq's to RR

 

[DanRollman]

What on earth is the purpose of encrypting the VHF patch talkgroups?

I could never figure that out either.

The logic that was explained to me by a Phoenix FD member is that they don't want handheld fireground traffic to be heard over a wide area, or to be easy to stream online or on live news broadcasts. They understand and can live with the fact that receivers close to the scene can hear handheld traffic on VHF, because (for now) they still prefer the simplicity of simplex analog on the fireground, but that doesn't mean they want to turn it into a wide area broadcast unencumbered by encryption.

The Brett Tarver incident has had a really long tail. We take for granted that unencrypted radio traffic may inhibit successful law enforcement missions, but we aren't as quick to see how some things that come across fire radios can be quite unsettling to some, too. I understand an entire department cringed when they heard this on local news, especially knowing Brett's wife Robin was at home watching the TV in panic. Even as a scanner hobbyist in the Valley in 2001, I remember watching the Southwest Supermarket fire live on the news and thinking "they should not be broadcasting this audio; this is not going to end well."

Here in metro Atlanta, where I primarily live now, I remember hearing live radio traffic of this incident on local news. At the time, Gwinnett County law enforcement was all encrypted but the fire service had remained 'in the clear'. Within months of this incident and the audio being widely aired live, Gwinnett County Fire went 100% encrypted.

I'm struggling to find a news story about it now, but I also remember an incident in the Valley where news crews overheard the address of the registered owner of a suspect vehicle and arrived to 'set up' on his house before undercover police vehicles could.

Online streaming of scanner audio is frequently referenced in encryption discussions. We forget the contributions some local news crews have made to that trend too.