Unsecured Tactical Radio Frequency Emissions in Canadian Policing

Unsecured Tactical Radio Frequency Emissions in Canadian Policing: A Cyber Analyst’s Insider Exposé

By Gerard King | Cybersecurity & Intelligence Analyst
www.gerardking.dev

In the complex web of Canadian policing infrastructure, one glaring vulnerability remains largely invisible to the rank-and-file officers themselves: unsecured tactical radio frequency (RF) emissions. As a cyber analyst with deep insights into the technological backbone supporting law enforcement agencies, I can attest that this issue is not only prevalent but profoundly dangerous — and yet widely misunderstood or outright ignored within these organizations.

The Invisible Threat: Tactical RF Emissions

Police forces rely heavily on tactical radios for real-time communication during operations. These communications often occur over specific RF bands intended to be secure, but in practice, a significant portion of these emissions remain unencrypted and susceptible to interception by anyone with moderate technical know-how and readily available scanning equipment.

Who’s listening?
Potential adversaries include organized crime groups, foreign intelligence operatives, activist hackers, and even disgruntled insiders. Unsecured RF emissions create a veritable open book into operational details, officer movements, and strategic planning.
Operational security compromised:
Leaked communications can jeopardize ongoing investigations, put officers at risk, and erode public trust in law enforcement capabilities.

A Knowledge Gap Among Officers

What’s most alarming is that most Canadian police officers lack basic awareness of the risks posed by unsecured RF emissions. Their training often glosses over technical vulnerabilities, focusing instead on traditional policing methods. The radio is treated as a simple tool, not a critical cybersecurity vector.

This ignorance is compounded by institutional culture, which tends to resist technical scrutiny that could challenge existing practices or reveal uncomfortable truths.

Blacklisted for Speaking Truth to Power

Ironically, experts like myself, who bring deep cyber expertise and critical insights into policing infrastructure, often face professional ostracism. The refusal to “drink the Kool-Aid”—that is, to unquestioningly support internal narratives without critique—results in being blacklisted or sidelined by these agencies.

Why?
Because acknowledging these vulnerabilities would require costly overhauls, retraining, and a fundamental cultural shift many departments are unwilling to undertake.
The price of dissent:
Being labeled a troublemaker or “not a team player” is the unfortunate cost of raising alarms that go against the grain.

Why This Matters: Broader Cybersecurity and Sovereignty Implications

In an era where nation-states and sophisticated threat actors actively target law enforcement communications, unsecured tactical RF emissions represent a direct assault on Canada’s sovereignty and public safety.

Data sovereignty risk:
Intercepted communications can be exploited for blackmail, sabotage, or misinformation campaigns.
Operational failure cascade:
Breaches in tactical communications ripple through intelligence-sharing networks, evidence chains, and judicial proceedings.

Steps Forward: A Cyber Analyst’s Prescription

Mandatory RF security audits: Law enforcement agencies must implement routine third-party audits of all tactical communication channels.
End-to-end encryption adoption: Transition to encrypted radio systems is not optional but essential.
Officer cyber awareness training: Embed foundational cybersecurity training into police curricula focusing on communication security.
Whistleblower protections: Protect and empower cyber experts who highlight vulnerabilities rather than silence them.
Cross-agency cyber collaboration: Foster partnerships between policing bodies, military cyber units, and civilian cybersecurity communities for holistic defense.

Conclusion: The Blind Spot in Policing Infrastructure

The issue of unsecured tactical radio frequency emissions exemplifies a broader challenge: policing systems in Canada are technologically outdated in critical ways, yet cultural and institutional barriers prevent meaningful progress. Until there’s recognition that cybersecurity is inseparable from operational security, vulnerabilities will persist, and public safety will remain at risk.

As a cyber analyst, I bring the insights the system desperately needs—but the question remains, will policing agencies evolve beyond the recursion loop of denial and resistance? Or will these invisible weaknesses continue to undermine Canada’s justice and security from within?

Unsecured Tactical Radio Frequency Emissions in Canadian Policing