Over the next few months, thousands of frontline RCMP officers will be starting their shifts equipped with a body-worn camera, as the national police force begins deploying the use of these devices across Canada.
On Thursday, the RCMP announced that starting Nov. 18, general duty police officers at select detachments will begin using body-worn cameras, with the audio and video captured being uploaded to “a secure digital evidence management system.”
Over the next nine months, approximately 1,000 contract and federal police officers per month will be migrating to the system as part of a phased national implementation plan. By the spring, the RCMP expects to have 50 per cent of its cameras deployed, and by this time next year, the force is aiming to have 90 per cent of frontline officers using the devices.
“Body-worn video provides increased transparency while also providing a first-hand view of what a police officer encounters, oftentimes in highly dynamic, …