Six communities in BC will soon have their local police outfitted with body cameras in order to increase transparency and accountability.
Beginning November 24th, around 300 body-worn cameras (BWCs) will be given to RCMP detachments in the communities of Mission, Tofino, Ucluelet, Kamloops and Prince George, Cranbrook and the Cranbrook British Columbia Highway Patrol (BCHP).
In the next 12 to 18 months, more than 3,000 cameras will be doled out to all BC RCMP detachments.
“We anticipate many benefits from the use of body-worn cameras including improved public and officer safety,” said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Commanding Officer of E Division (BC).
“The RCMP believes the cameras will enhance transparency and accountability as well as provide a first person view of what police officers encounter daily, often in highly dynamic and tense situations.”
According to the RCMP, the BWCs and the Digital Evidence Management Services (DEMS) will cost approximately $3,000 per user each year.
The reasoning for the implementation of frontline officers wearing BWCs is that in 2020, the federal government urged police agencies to use these cameras to show increased transparency stemming from the concerns of racialized and Indigenous communities.
Following the government’s pressure on the RCMP, they agreed that body-worn cameras would be a good tool to increase accountability and improve transparency.
According to the RCMP, wearing BWCs will now be the national standard going forward.
“The introduction of the cameras is now the national standard for the RCMP and it addresses calls I have personally heard from local, regional, Indigenous and provincial leaders to address the overall need to enhance public trust and confidence in policing,” said McDonald.
Following the initial rollout, Fort St. John and the surrounding Peace Region will implement BWCs beginning in January 2025.
How will they work?
Frontline officers will be wearing the cameras on the front of their vests and it will be powered-on during their entire shift in a buffering mode.
The BWC must be activated by the officer in order to record audio and video.
When activated, the camera automatically saves 30 seconds of video prior to activation by the officer to give a clear visual picture of what was happening leading up to its activation.
The officer is then meant to inform the member of the public they are interacting with that the camera is on, when safe to do so.
After the officer’s workday is over, the camera will be placed onto a docking station back at the detachment to have footage uploaded to a secure cloud-based server.
The RCMP noted that the cameras will not be used in surveillance situations, for 24-hour recording purposes or in areas where there is a high-expectation of privacy.
“Once the cameras are in use across the province, the video will provide us with an un-biased first person account of incidents involving the police and members of the public,” McDonald explained.
He added that having a tool to make RCMP officers’ actions visible, providing clear evidence and reducing public complaints, is an initiative he welcomes.
