Police body-worn cameras to be installed by 2021?

The North Bay Police Service has confirmed officially today that Chief Scott Tod is working on a report relating to bringing in body-worn cameras to the service potentially as early as 2021.

The news of the issue came via an internal police memo BayToday received from a source back on June 4.  

"He [Police Board Chair Dennis O'Connor] has asked me to prepare a report for the Board on the police use of body-worn cameras and conduct a review of recent reports including the Ontario Human Rights Commission report titled 'Human rights and policing: Creating and sustaining organizational change' and report to the Board a plan of action to improve our service," Chief Scott Tod stated in the internal memo.  

See related: Police Board looking at body-worn cameras for police officers 

This response comes in reaction to the George Floyd death during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25. The former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, will now face second-degree murder charges for the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died pleading for his life as the officer had his knee on his neck during an arrest. 

Dennis O'Connor, Police Board Chair, says the service had been looking body-worn cameras and they were waiting to hear back from a study on the topic that was conducted by the Toronto Police Service. 

"The Chief has been in contact with the Toronto Police Service and once they send up the information to us then a decision will be made and we are looking if the board approves it may be in about three or four months go out and get a contract for body cameras and everything else," said O'Connor after Tuesday's monthly police board meeting at police headquarters. 

The police cameras will be a first for the service as none of the current police vehicles actually have any camera technology installed. Tod says dash cameras will also be part of the conversation along with body-worn cameras.  

"First report what it will look like for the North Bay Police Service and then many decisions need to be made afterwards in regards to what vendor, what technology and what are our governances and policies in regards to body-worn video and how we are going to move forward as a service," said Tod. 

"So I think year-end is earliest to select a vendor and go forward." 

There will be some ethical questions too? Such as will the officers have the discretion to turn the cameras on or off?  Those are some of the decisions the board and the service will have to look at when the technology arrives. 

"We have seen the benefits of the in-car camera and police body-worn video for the protection of the officers and the members of the public," said Tod.  

"But I think the overall aspect is to provide an increased level of accountability and a record of what we have done as a police service in our actions and in our words and how we responded to incidents as they have been reported. So I think the body-worn video is an expectation that the public has."