Atascosa County TX: $3.2M Motorola Radios, Encryption Weighed

Atascosa County, Texas, just committed roughly $3.2 million to a new Motorola public-safety radio system, and in the same meeting commissioners asked the question every scanner listener in South Texas is now asking: will the public still be able to listen? The commissioners court voted on September 14, 2026 to buy Motorola communications equipment listed at $3,197,903.77 under a seven-year tax-exempt lease-purchase agreement, using Texas DIR contract CPO 5433. In the same special-called meeting, public-safety officials recommended encrypting most operational channels. No encryption vote was taken and no activation date was announced, so this is an open question, not a done deal.

What Atascosa County Approved on September 14, 2026

The purchase was approved at a special-called meeting of the Atascosa County Commissioners Court. Commissioner Gillespie moved to award the Motorola public-safety radio purchase and Commissioner Eustace seconded it. The equipment figure of $3,197,903.77 is financed over seven years through a tax-exempt lease-purchase, and the county bought through Texas DIR contract CPO 5433 rather than running a standalone bid.

A lease-purchase structure spreads the cost across the county budget instead of taking one large capital hit. For listeners, the meaningful part is not the financing, it is the platform: a new Motorola system is where an encryption policy gets decided, because encryption is a programming choice on that system rather than an afterthought.

The Encryption Question Raised in Open Court

According to a summary of the county's September 14, 2026 meeting recording, a commissioner asked directly whether residents who use police and fire scanners would lose access once the new system activates. That question matters because scanner listening in Atascosa County is not a hobby of last resort: it is how rural residents follow calls in areas with thin news coverage.

Public-safety officials told the court they recommend encrypting the bulk of operational channels. On the record, they described the likely outcome this way:

"We're probably gonna leave them encrypted."

Officials gave three reasons for the recommendation: protecting personally identifying information, officer and tactical safety, and compliance with CJIS and HIPAA requirements. Those are the same three arguments agencies across the country have used in 2026, and they are worth understanding on their own terms. CJIS rules govern criminal justice information, and HIPAA governs protected health information that travels over EMS channels. Listeners who want the full context should read our breakdown of the CJIS 2027 deadline and why police radios are going dark.

Which Channels Could Stay Open

The recommendation was not for blanket encryption. Public-safety officials said some channels could stay open for routine public information, which is the same partial-encryption approach now in place in a number of counties. In practice that usually means dispatch stays clear while tactical, records, and investigative talkgroups go encrypted, though nothing in Atascosa County has been finalized.

That distinction is the one listeners should watch closely. "Encrypted the bulk of operational channels" is not the same as "dispatch goes dark." Where agencies keep dispatch open, a standard dual-band handheld still hears the traffic that matters most.

The Communications Committee Idea

The court proposed forming a communications committee to set the encryption policy, and to work with local citizen journalists on other ways to share public information. That second half is the part worth noting. When agencies encrypt, the usual substitute is a delay: press releases, social posts, or a delayed feed posted after the fact. Our report on agencies that keep live call dashboards shows what that trade looks like when it is done well, and our analysis of the accountability gap that encryption widens shows what happens when it is not.

A committee is also where the timeline gets public. Until it meets, there is no policy, no effective date, and no written list of which channels stay in the clear.

What South Texas Listeners Should Expect Next

• No change yet. The current Atascosa County system keeps operating while the new equipment is staged and installed.
• Encryption is decided at programming time. Once the new Motorola system is built, the policy is a setting, so the window to comment is now, not after cutover.
• The county record is public. Meeting agendas and recordings from the commissioners court are the source of truth on both the lease and the encryption policy.
• Neighboring counties matter. Bexar, Wilson, and Karnes County traffic is often audible from Atascosa County with a decent antenna, so listeners keep coverage even if local channels change.

Listening range is a real factor in a county this size. A handheld with a quality antenna and the right programmed channels hears more of what is still in the clear, and the general rules are the same everywhere: here is how to find your local police scanner frequencies.

How to Keep Listening While the Policy Is Unsettled

Nothing in the September 14 vote silences scanners. What it does is put a clock on the county's decision, and the practical move for a listener is to be set up before a cutover rather than after. A scanner that arrives pre-programmed to your ZIP code means the local channels, including any that stay open, are already loaded.

If you want a single do-everything handheld for the South Texas area, the Baofeng UV-5R Plus covers the frequencies used across this region and gives you extra memory for neighboring counties.

FAQ

Is Atascosa County police radio encrypted right now?

No final encryption decision has been announced. Commissioners court approved a Motorola equipment purchase on September 14, 2026, and public-safety officials recommended encrypting most operational channels, but the county has not voted on an encryption policy or set an activation date.

How much did Atascosa County spend on the new radio system?

The equipment is listed at $3,197,903.77, funded through a seven-year tax-exempt lease-purchase under Texas DIR contract CPO 5433. Commissioner Gillespie moved the purchase and Commissioner Eustace seconded it at the September 14, 2026 special-called meeting.

Why did officials say they want encryption?

They cited identity protection for residents, tactical and officer safety, and compliance with CJIS and HIPAA requirements. Their stated position was, "We're probably gonna leave them encrypted."

Could some channels stay open to the public?

Yes. Officials said some channels could remain open for routine public information. That is the same partial-encryption model other counties have adopted, but which channels qualify has not been decided in Atascosa County.

What is the communications committee for?

The commissioners court proposed it to set the encryption policy and to work with local citizen journalists on alternative ways to share public information if channels are encrypted.

Can I still hear anything from Atascosa County today?

Yes. The existing system is still operating, and neighboring county traffic is often receivable from Atascosa County with a programmed handheld and a good antenna.

Bottom line: Atascosa County has bought the hardware, $3,197,903.77 of Motorola radio equipment on a seven-year lease-purchase, and its public-safety officials want most operational channels encrypted, but no policy has been adopted and no date has been set. The decision is still open, and the county record is where it will be settled. Listeners who want to keep hearing what remains in the clear should get programmed and set up now.

Sourcing note: both news items cited here come from Citizen Portal, which publishes AI-generated summaries of official meeting video and states that the source material is unaltered. The underlying source is the county's September 14, 2026 special-called meeting recording. Quotes are meeting-transcript quotes, not reporter interviews.