The Winnipeg Police Board asked the cops to study the idea of adding body cameras to police uniforms following the board’s first meeting on Friday. Several other police forces across Canada already use the devices, but police chief Devon Clunis questions whether the cameras are worth the expense.
Board chair Scott Fielding believes the cameras would decrease the number of false accusations against officers and help provide evidence to secure convictions.
“I think it makes a lot of sense,” he said. “It's going to be more efficient and lots of times what happens is people will even plead guilty with these things. The evidence is right there on camera.”
Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria are some of the cities that have adopted the technology. Fielding wants a pilot project done, but first police will study the pros and cons of the idea and report back to the board.
Chief Devon Clunis questions whether the cameras are affordable for what they would accomplish. “I'm not necessarily sold,” he said.
It would cost up to $3 million a year at a time when the police budget is facing scrutiny, Clunis said. “Is this the best use of expenditure of limited resources we have at this time?”
Staff would have to be hired to pore over all the new video collected for court, Winnipeg Police Association officials said. “If we increase that video recording amount exponentially, then I think we are going to increase our administrative cost exponentially,” said president Mike Sutherland.
The head of a local woman's shelter supports the camera plan because it could help convict abusive partners who otherwise might go free.
“The picture tells the story, nobody can dispute that so in terms of that for our clients and police I think that it offers a real good level of protection,” said Osborne House CEO Barbara Judt.
Fielding hopes to have the report back in a couple of months. If it’s feasible, he’d like to see the pilot project go ahead next year.
There is currently $1 million earmarked for body cameras in the 2016 police budget.
- With a report by Jeff Keele
