Edmonton police to begin pilot program for body-worn cameras

Dozens of Edmonton police officers will begin recording interactions with the public on body-worn cameras starting Monday.

Thirty-five patrol officers with the Edmonton Police Service have been selected for the six-month pilot project after the province announced earlier this year that the cameras would become mandatory for Alberta police.

Trials will begin with beat officers, including transit and street patrol teams, as well the unit that polices encampments.

EPS Supt. Derek McIntyre said Wednesday that the goal is to ensure accountability and reduce the number of incidents where force is used, for both officers and the public.

"Additionally, we are hopeful the cameras will increase public trust and confidence in the police service, reduce unfounded allegations of officer misconduct and help our investigations by improving evidence collection, documentation disclosure and more."

McIntyre said officers will turn on the cameras to record interactions while they investigate a complaint or ask someone questions to collect their information.

When their interaction is over or officers feel recording is not necessary, they will turn the camera off. 

While the policy around the use of body camera is still being developed, McIntyre said times police may choose to turn off the camera include an incident of sexual violence or investigations involving children.

All footage will be uploaded at the end of an officer's shift, where it will be logged and tagged in a secure storage cloud. McIntyre said the video can't be altered or deleted at any time, and it will be submitted as part of a disclosure package to Crown prosecutors when charges are laid.

"We've seen on social media primarily clipped versions of interactions with the police service, which escalates the level of sensitivity of our interactions and vulnerable populations, and we just want to bring transparency to the whole situation," he said.

Edmonton defence lawyer Lionel Chartrand welcomed the use of body cameras as a helpful tool to determine what really happened when a client and the Crown have different stories.

In an overburdened court system, he said the recordings will also cut down on the need for litigation.

"It can really help for Crown and defence to resolve cases when there's objective evidence to determine some of those litigious issues," Chartrand said.

Police said the technology is being tested at a "really low cost," as it's on loan from the same company that supplies stun guns.

Different models will be tested over the next six months before EPS issues a request for proposals to select a vendor.

Police predict the full program cost will be in the millions, including the cost of human resources, data storage and technology. It's still not clear whether the city or province will foot the bill.

That's one of the many factors to be decided by a provincial steering committee, which will also determine when the program will be fully implemented.

The province said it is working with the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police to develop standards around using body cameras. That also involves consultations with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and the province's information and privacy commissioner.

Public safety minister Mike Ellis said in a statement Wednesday that the decision to mandate body cameras will be "transformational" in police investigations.