Lorain County Radio Goes Digital on Ohio's MARCS P25 System

On July 9, 2026, Lorain County, Ohio reached full radio interoperability: countywide public safety traffic now runs on the statewide MARCS P25 trunked system, and Sheriff Jack Hall's office holds the encryption keys that bridge the county's two radio networks. For scanner listeners, this is a milestone worth understanding — Lorain County agencies are now digital, older analog scanners are obsolete for them, and monitoring requires a P25-capable scanner programmed with MARCS system data.

What Happened: The MARCS P25 Cutover Is Complete

On July 9, 2026, Sheriff Jack Hall signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cleveland Communications Inc. (CCI), the company operating the L3Harris system still used by many county agencies. The MOU cleared the final legal hurdle — FBI CJIS security-policy compliance — needed to link the county's two radio networks. With the MOU signed, the Sheriff's Office now holds the encryption keys for both the MARCS and Harris systems and serves as the interoperability hub for every public safety radio in the county, according to the Chronicle-Telegram.

Lorain County Metro Parks and Grafton Police also switched to MARCS on July 9, the same day the interoperability agreement was finalized.

Why Lorain County Moved to MARCS

Lorain County began its switch to MARCS — Ohio's statewide, Motorola-powered P25 system — in mid-June 2026, following county commissioners' selection of the $28 million system after years of dispute between CCI/L3Harris backers and Motorola/MARCS supporters. The countywide cutover makes Lorain County the latest Ohio jurisdiction to consolidate onto the state's shared public safety network.

The Encryption Keys: What the MOU Actually Means

The interoperability agreement gives the Sheriff's Office control of encryption keys on both systems, making it the central bridge for cross-agency communications. The cutover wasn't entirely smooth: deputies' Kenwood radios were ready at go-live, but some Motorola radios lacked completed encryption keys because the B&C Communications employee handling them was on vacation. That issue was resolved the same week, per the Chronicle-Telegram's report.

The CJIS compliance angle here is part of a broader national trend — the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services policies are pushing agencies toward encrypted digital radio nationwide. We covered the bigger picture in CJIS 2027 Deadline: Why Police Radios Are Going Dark.

What Listeners Need Now: P25 Digital Scanning

Countywide traffic is now digital P25 on a statewide trunked system. That means:

• Older analog scanners are obsolete for Lorain County agencies — they simply cannot decode P25 digital audio.
• You need a P25-capable digital scanner programmed with MARCS system data (site frequencies, talkgroups, and control channel settings).
• Because the Sheriff's Office holds the encryption keys, some talkgroups may be encrypted — encrypted traffic can't be heard by any scanner.
• If your scanner isn't programmed for MARCS, it won't track the system properly even if it's P25-capable.

Not sure what changed when agencies go digital? Start with our explainer, Police Scanner Encryption Explained: What You Can Still Hear in 2026.

If your own community's dispatch is still on clear analog channels, an affordable dual-band radio like the Baofeng UV-5R Plus is a budget-friendly entry point — but for Lorain County's new MARCS P25 traffic, you'll need a digital P25-capable scanner programmed with the system's data.

FAQ: Lorain County MARCS P25 and Your Scanner

Can I still hear Lorain County police with an analog scanner?

No. County agencies now transmit digital P25 audio on the MARCS trunked system, which analog scanners cannot decode. Monitoring requires a P25-capable scanner programmed with MARCS data.

Is all Lorain County radio traffic encrypted?

The Sheriff's Office holds the encryption keys for both the MARCS and Harris systems, and the county is now the interoperability hub. The reports confirm keys are in place; whether every talkgroup is encrypted day-to-day can vary by agency and incident. What's certain is that all countywide traffic is digital P25.

What is MARCS?

MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communications System) is Ohio's statewide, Motorola-powered P25 trunked radio system, used by public safety agencies across the state for interoperable digital communications.

When did Lorain County make the switch?

The county began moving onto MARCS in mid-June 2026. The interoperability MOU that finalized the bridge between MARCS and the L3Harris system was signed July 9, 2026.

Did Grafton Police and Metro Parks switch too?

Yes. Lorain County Metro Parks and Grafton Police both switched to MARCS on July 9, 2026, the same day the interoperability agreement was signed.

What was the hold-up with the Motorola radios?

At go-live, deputies' Kenwood radios were ready, but Motorola radios lacked completed encryption keys because the B&C Communications employee handling them was on vacation. The issue was resolved the same week.

Bottom line: Lorain County's move to MARCS P25 is complete, and it's a textbook case of what the digital transition means for listeners: full interoperability for first responders, and a P25-capable scanner requirement for everyone else. If you're shopping for a radio, confirm it decodes P25 trunked systems before you buy — and remember that encrypted talkgroups stay out of reach of every scanner on the market.