Photo Credit: RCMP

By Sam Bennison

RCMP

RCMP begin body cam rollout in BC including Prince George

Nov 21, 2024 | 1:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE— The RCMP are rolling out Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) to six communities in British Columbia starting on November 24, 2024.

Around, 300 cameras will go to frontline police in Mission, Tofino, Ucluelet, Cranbrook and the Cranbrook British Columbia Highway Patrol (BCHP), Kamloops, and Prince George, in that order. Fort St. John and the surrounding Peace Region will receive body cams in January 2025.

Mission will be the first community in the province to see their officers wearing the cameras during frontline duties.

“We anticipate many benefits from the use of body-worn cameras including improved public and officer safety,” says Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Commanding Officer of E Division. “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.”

Police estimate that the Body-Worn Cameras and Digital Evidence Management Services (DEMS) will cost around $3,000 per user every year. The RCMP say they will be using a Software-as-a-Service subscription model which minimizes upfront costs and limits the need for infrastructure requirements.

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In 2020, the federal government urged police to use body cams as a means to respond to concerns from radialized and indigenous communities about interactions with police.

This initial roll-out represents about 10% of the total amount of officers that will be receiving the cameras across the province.

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com