In a move towards greater transparency and accountability, RCMP officers in Alberta will commence field testing body-worn cameras along with a new digital evidence management system.
Starting in February, frontline members stationed in St. Paul, Grand Prairie, and Parkland County, Alta. will initiate the field-testing phase, which is expected to last 8 to 10 weeks. Similar field tests are also being conducted in RCMP detachments in Nova Scotia and Nunavut.
The adoption of body-worn cameras aims to foster trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve by providing an impartial record of interactions.
Mounted typically at the center of an officer’s chest, the body-worn cameras will indicate recording status through a visible red light, providing transparency to the public.
This field test serves as the concluding phase of the procurement process and will guide the nationwide deployment of body-worn cameras and the digital evidence management system within the RCMP detachments. Successful completion of the field tests will confirm the selected contractor as the provider for the RCMP.
Upon completion of the field tests, a phased rollout is anticipated to occur nationally over the next 12 to 18 months. Ultimately, body-worn cameras and a digital evidence management system are poised to become standard equipment for general-duty frontline RCMP officers across the country.