Provincial police to use body-worn cameras

[Thomas]

Ontario Provincial Police officers in the Northwest will soon be equipped with body-worn cameras, a move a police service official said is long overdue.

As part of a provincial technology enhancement program, the officers are being supplied with the cameras in a phased approach.

Body-worn cameras provide police with evidence at a call for service instead of relying on third-party video sources like bystander video or static security cameras.

"The OPP is eager to offer this long overdue enhancement to our investigative and evidence collection systems while simultaneously elevating transparency into our policing operations and overall public accountability," said Shaun Crabbe, superintendent of OPP Northwest Region headquarters, in a news release.

The cameras complement existing in-car camera systems, can be used to clarify interactions between officers and the public, and provide evidence in court.

Officers will turn on the body-worn cameras prior to arriving at a call for service, during all aspects of public interactions with police, and when they start investigating an incident or individual.

The OPP's eastern region already has body-worn cameras, as do many municipal and Indigenous police services, including the Thunder Bay Police Service.

The OPP says it has also created procedures to address potential privacy concerns and to ensure the security of the video once it has been recorded.

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