Are those handheld or mobile radios people refer to as 'police' scanners legal in Ontario/Canada? Are they legal in your car?

Has anyone had any expiriences with the police with respect to their scanner being in their car?

Any LEO's here care to comment?

Thx

I do not know.

Having said that, I think I remember something that one can not intercept communications for personal gain and/or prempt to committ a criminal offence. Such as using a scanner to know where police are to go do a B&E.

Police radios are encoded, so commercially available scanners (I know you're thinking NASCAR scanner or similar) wouldn't work.

One can buy a scanner (new) which is able to get any police frequency for around $600.

IIRC there were ways to convert even regular radios to scan the police frequencies. If they're encoded, that's a different story. You'd probably need a computer too.

Any scanner capable of receiving non-broadcast digital signals requires a licence from Industry Canada. 'Broadcast' meaning that it was intended for the use of the general public, like non-subscription television signals.

Analog scanners are exempt from licensing requirements, but under the Radiocommunication Act, you cannot divulge or make use of intercepted communications unless you have permission from either the recipient or the originator, or if the recipient was not in Canada at the time of transmission.

I was in a tow truck that had 11 radios: police, ambulance, transit, taxi, CB, I don't remember the rest. He had five on the dash and the rest in the arm rest compartment. Plus all the tow drivers were hooked up on Mike (Telus). But I bet you his wife could never reach him

Squishy wrote:

under the Radiocommunication Act, you cannot divulge or make use of intercepted communications unless you have permission from either the recipient or the originator, or if the recipient was not in Canada at the time of transmission.

100% correct... although almost no one complies. Allows for funny stories when my co-workers are talking shop and someone mentions a really goofed-up transmission or incident they heard on the radio.

Back to his question what do you mean by a "scanner"

Like a CB radio or a Radar Detector.

RD's are illegal.

CB radio i believe is not illegal, although not sure if you were listening in on Police.

tdrive2 wrote:

Back to his question what do you mean by a "scanner"

Like a CB radio or a Radar Detector.

RD's are illegal.

CB radio i believe is not illegal, although not sure if you were listening in on Police.

Police don't use CB. I don't think the CB emergency channel (9) is even monitored anymore, except maybe in remote areas with hiking or skiing trails. If you got into trouble and had a CB, you'd be better off calling for help on channel 19 (the highway channel).