Mounties launch body-camera rollout

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WINNIPEG — Manitoba RCMP have pledged every front-line Mountie will be equipped with body-worn cameras within 18 months, beginning with officers in Steinbach, who will wear the devices when they step on shift Friday.

The news is part of a national rollout announced last week that has drawn mixed reviews.

Defence lawyers, police unions and the former head of the provincial police watchdog expressed praise for the program, calling it a beneficial tool. Others, including a professor who has researched such programs elsewhere in North America, were skeptical.

“There’s been a long call for the actions of police within this province, and across Canada, to be more transparent and accountable,” Manitoba RCMP assistant commissioner Scott McMurchy said Wednesday, speaking from division headquarters on Portage Avenue.

“Today’s launch, it truly demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the trust between Manitoba RCMP and the communities that we proudly serve throughout the province.”

The Amaranth, Portage la Prairie and Treherne detachments will receive the devices on Dec. 4. The East St. Paul, Grand Marais and Selkirk detachments will receive them on Jan. 7. The St-Pierre-Jolys detachment will receive them on Jan. 22.

It is expected that more than 490 Manitoba RCMP officers who work in 44 detachments will be equipped with the cameras by April. All other detachments throughout the province will receive cameras over the next 18 months.

Police demonstrated the cameras, which are mounted to officers’ chests and record audio and video within a 160-degree field of view. The device flashes green when it is not activated and red once it begins recording.

As per police protocol, Mounties will be required to turn the devices on when they respond to a call, interact with the public or record a statement. The camera will store the footage until the officer returns to their detachment, where they upload it to a browser-based server that’s only accessible by police.

The RCMP stressed recordings cannot be edited, and officers will not be permitted to delete their own videos.

Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University, said he doubts the cameras will yield the benefits expressed by police.

Schneider, who studies policing and technology, said data on similar programs in other jurisdictions shows mixed results.

In some studies they have reduced police use-of-force encounters, while in others the numbers increase; the same is true about public complaints involving officers, he said.

“We have no way to measure, one way or the other, if body-worn cameras actually do lead to transparency or accountability,” Schneider said. “That money could be better invested elsewhere.”

The federal government pledged $238.5 million over six years and $50 million in ongoing funding for the cameras, which are provided by Axon, a U.S.-based weapons and technology company, through a subscription service.

When the rollout is complete, all 674 of front-line RCMP officers will wear the cameras, which cost around $3,000 each.

Schneider said body cameras used elsewhere rarely result in punitive measures. He questioned how RCMP will discipline officers who intentionally tamper with, or fail to activate, their device.

McMurchy said that such actions would be tantamount to violating the RCMP code of conduct.

“Depending on the nature and gravity of the situation, it may result in an … investigation,” McMurchy said.

The senior officer noted the front-line officer who records the footage, and their supervisor, are the only people immediately permitted to access it. In some instances, it may be shared with other police units for investigative purposes or during court proceedings, McMurchy said.

Police will have some discretion on whether recordings will be released publicly, provided that disclosure complies with privacy legislation, he said.

“It would depend on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “If there was interest really from the public and the RCMP as an organization to display that video, then we would work through that.”

In most instances, members of the media and the public will have to file a freedom of information request to access footage. Such requests are often plagued by long delays and can be rejected or heavily redacted.

“Canadians can expect not to see body-worn camera footage in Canada,” Schneider said, explaining federal privacy laws would generally restrict access.

Schneider urged police to proactively disclose instances of officer misconduct recorded on video as a way of building trust in the program.

Zane Tessler, the former head of the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, disagreed with Schneider’s assessment, saying the introduction of body cameras “can only be viewed as a good thing.”

Tessler is a former criminal defence lawyer and Crown attorney who was as the IIU’s civilian director for around a decade. He was responsible for establishing policies, regulations and hiring investigators for the independent agency, which reviews all serious incidents involving police.

“It’s a long time in coming. I’ve always been a major proponent of body-worn cameras,” Tessler said.

“The positives certainly have to outweigh the negatives … services across the country (have introduced body cameras), I think to the betterment of themselves and to the public.”

Tessler said body-worn cameras will not resolve all issues in policing, but could provide the evidence needed to exonerate or discipline officers.

He noted the time between when a use-of-force incident or public complaint occurs and when it is formally reported could present a challenge for investigators, who will have to locate the relevant footage.

Police have said the length of time each video is retained will vary from 30 days to more than two years.

Chris Gamby, spokesman for the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba, agreed camera use by RCMP will benefit people involved in the justice system.

“Generally, our association thinks this is a step in the right direction. It’s going to give us more evidence than we otherwise would have,” he said. “Typically now, interactions between the police and an individual or group of people are down to what people remember.”

Gamby said, at best, the cameras will provide an unbiased account of police interactions that will assist the courts in understanding what occurred.

“I think, by and large, we do have good police officers in our country and in our city. I think this is just another thing that is going to require them to maintain a high standard of professionalism.”

The National Police Federation, which represents around 20,000 Mounties across Canada, said it supports the introduction of body cameras.

“For years, we have been involved in negotiations to get the necessary funding and policies in place and fully support the national rollout of this initiative,” president and chief executive officer Brian Sauvé said in a statement.

“RCMP members and all police have become very familiar with public scrutiny. We believe that these cameras will allow for increased transparency and trust between our members and the people they serve.”

» Winnipeg Free Press