Thousands of front-line RCMP officers will begin work wearing body-worn cameras over the next few months as national police forces begin using these devices across Canada.
On Thursday, RCMP announces Starting Nov. 18, regular-duty police officers in some detachments will begin using body-worn cameras, and audio and video footage will be uploaded to a “secure digital evidence management system.”
Over the next nine months, approximately 1,000 contract and federal police officers will be transitioned to the system each month as part of a phased national implementation plan. The RCMP expects to have 50 per cent of its cameras in place by spring, and aims to have 90 per cent of its front-line officers using cameras by this time next year.
RCMP project director Tawnya Goguyen said during Thursday’s technical briefing: “Born body video provides greater transparency while also providing a first-hand look into the situations officers encounter, which are often very dynamic and intense situations. ” he said.
Current estimates are that 10,000 to 15,000 body-worn cameras will be deployed to people interacting with Canadians in rural, urban and remote areas within the next 12 to 18 months.
According to the RCMP, the initiative aims to strengthen trust, increase transparency and improve interactions between the public and police by providing “accurate” and “unbiased” accounts of incidents involving police. The objective is to improve and strengthen evidence collection.
“The introduction of body-worn cameras to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is another step towards building a more modern and responsible RCMP and strengthening trust between the RCMP and the communities it serves. “Yes,” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duhem said in a statement.
This national rollout comes after the Cavalry pilot-tested the technology in specific detachments, and the goal of full implementation has been in place for several years now as the Cavalry determined the provider, developed policy, and provided training. This was done in response to delays.
Instead of purchasing cameras, the RCMP is using a subscription model where contractor Axon Public Safety Canada Inc. provides the hardware and management system.
In 2020, the federal government allocated $238.5 million over six years to implement the system, with plans for $50 million annually going forward.
When and where the camera is used
The RCMP has announced that its officers will wear chest-worn cameras, joining other Canadian police forces that are already equipping their officers with similar technology. Goguyen said they are trained to think “unbuckle your seatbelt and turn on your camera.”
RCMP says officers must begin recording before they receive a call or begin contact with the public as part of their duties. Anyone interacting with a police officer will know the camera is recording when a red light flashes under the lens.
National Police say the cameras will not be used for surveillance or in environments where there is an expectation of privacy, such as washrooms or hospitals, nor will they be used for body cavity or strip searches. RCMP also said the cameras do not use facial recognition and will not be used for that purpose in any case.
RCMP policy requires officers to continue rolling “until they determine that safety is no longer a concern and further recording is not in the investigation’s interest,” and prevents accidental camera shutoffs. Temporary disturbances should also be recorded.
The camera can store approximately 24 hours of footage, has a 12-hour battery life, and has been tested and proven to work in cold temperatures. The RCMP says they will be replaced every 30 months to ensure the latest technology.
The RCMP also outlined how the software that stores the footage works, stating that access to the video will be recorded and that the retention period will often range from 30 days to two years, but that the footage will not be recorded. He said that depending on the incident, the footage may be kept for a longer period of time.
Regarding the release of footage, the RCMP’s current position is that it may proactively release footage from body-worn cameras if it is in the public interest, but only in “exceptional” circumstances. It will only be done in Otherwise, members of the public must formally request access to footage of themselves in accordance with federal privacy laws.
The National Police Federation said it welcomed the program, seeing the cameras as a tool for transparency, noting that its members are “accustomed to public scrutiny.”
“This is just another tool to provide a third-party, unbiased record of what happened, and our members look forward to it,” said Kevin Halwa, the police union’s Prairie region director. “I am doing so,” he said. “It’s like a sports replay. Let’s watch the tape and see exactly what happened.”
Policies proposed during protests
The plan to equip front-line RCMP officers with body cameras was announced in 2020 amid protests calling for police reform.
The decision to pursue this policy stemmed from conversations between then-RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lackey and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
At the time, growing concerns about police brutality and systemic racism led to rallies calling for defunding police departments around the world, including in Canada.
Among the incidents that propelled advocates’ efforts to demand change was the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a video went viral showing then-police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck. Chantel MooreIndigenous woman shot and killed by police officer performing ‘wellness check’ in Edmundston, New Brunswick
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement Thursday that Canadians “must trust the government agencies tasked with keeping us safe.”
However, concerns regarding privacy and effectiveness remain.
“Body-worn cameras have been tested for two main purposes: first, do the presence of body-worn cameras reduce the likelihood of police use of force? “Does the presence of cameras reduce civilian complaints against police? And the findings are inconsistent,” said Brandon University sociology professor Christopher Schneider.
He also noted that Canada’s privacy laws are not comparable, and that Canadians should not expect their footage to be widely released in the way it is often broadcast in U.S. media. I warned you.
“These cameras are funded by the people’s tax dollars. In fact, if you look at it that way, this footage is the people’s footage. The people own that footage and we’re paying for it. “How is that benefiting the public? I think that should be the biggest concern as we move forward,” Schneider said.
