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Writer's pictureT.W. Buck

Peace Region RCMP will soon be wearing body cams


RCMP throughout the Peace Region will soon be wearing body cams, which roll out in January 2025, according to a media release.

 

RCMP recently announced the roll-out of their body-worn cameras (BWC’s) in British Columbian communities, marking the first phase of the plan which began on November 24.

 

“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.”

 

The cameras are set to be introduced in Fort St. John and the surrounding Peace Region starting January 2025. The RCMP projects that the body-worn cameras and Digital Evidence Management Services (DEMS) will cost about $3,000 per user annually.

RCMP utilizes a Software-as-a-Service subscription model, reducing upfront costs and minimizing infrastructure requirements.

 

“You will see frontline officers wearing the cameras on the front of their vests. The camera is powered on during the entire shift in a buffering mode, but must be activated by the officer in order to record audio and video. The camera automatically saves 30 seconds of video prior to activation by the officer. This will give a clear visual picture of what was happening leading up to the camera’s activation,” said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald.    

 

A media release from the RCMP stated that 300 cameras would be going to local RCMP officers in Mission, Tofino, Ucluelet, Cranbrook and the Cranbrook British Columbia Highway Patrol (BCHP), Kamloops and Prince George, in that order.

The initial deployment accounts for approximately 10% of the total body-worn cameras that will eventually be distributed to frontline officers throughout the province.

 

Mission residents will be the first in the province to witness RCMP officers using body cameras during their frontline duties according to the media release.

 

As the provincial police service for British Columbia, the BC RCMP will oversee the province's largest camera deployment, with over 3,000 units set to be introduced over the next 12 to 18 months.

 

According to the media release in 2020, the federal government encouraged police agencies to adopt body-worn cameras in response to concerns raised by racialized and Indigenous communities regarding their interactions with law enforcement.

 

RCMP acknowledged that body-worn cameras serve as an additional tool to enhance accountability and promote transparency in policing. They have since become the national standard for the RCMP.

 

“The roll-out of body-worn cameras is part of the RCMP’s modernization efforts and is the national standard for all RCMP officers across the country,” says Assistant Commissioner John Brewer who oversees RCMP Criminal Operations in the province.

 

This gradual implementation will allow these communities and the RCMP to fine-tune the use of the cameras as a tool for frontline policing.

 

“As we mentioned earlier, the roll-out of over 3,000 body-worn cameras by the RCMP in British Columbia will be the largest deployment of the cameras in the province. The cameras will roll-out to 144 detachments in 150 municipalities serving 75% of the population in the province,” said Assistant Commissioner John Brewer.


“The call for more police transparency has been clearly articulated by the public and from governments across Canada. As the officer who oversees operations for the BC RCMP in the province, I am pleased that the cameras will be deployed starting next week and throughout 2025. We anticipate that nearly all frontline RCMP officers will be using the cameras by early 2026. We expect the use of the cameras will increase public trust in police and improve police and public behavior.”

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