Body Worn Cameras

CKPS is introducing body-worn cameras to increase transparency and accountability in public interactions while enhancing public and officer safety. They offer an unbiased view of interactions between police and the public and can capture critical evidence.

Officers will undergo training prior to being issued a body-worn camera and will receive subsequent and ongoing training.  

All frontline officers, including Patrol Sergeants, will be equipped with a body-worn camera. As our project progresses, we continue to plan for deployment of cameras in a varied capacity for non-frontline and investigative bureaus.

In addition to the clear direction provided to officers through their Body-Worn Camera training and the existing policy prohibiting covert recording, CKPS has been working with the Information & Privacy Commission on our Privacy Impact Assessment throughout our entire project.

The purpose of the camera is to record an officer’s interaction with the public during their duties. Officers utilizing cameras shall balance privacy rights with law enforcement needs and are subject to guidelines set within our policy and PIA. Officers will use discretion when a child/youth is involved in minimizing their being recorded. The video will be tagged when a child/youth is captured, and if there is no investigative value and our minimum retention schedule is met, the footage will be deleted.

Body-worn cameras are not intended for 24-hour recording. Officers shall activate their cameras when interacting with a member of the public, at the earliest opportunity that allows for officer safety.

Officers are required to activate their cameras when interacting with a member of the public at the earliest opportunity. The camera must be unobstructed, and the officer must advise the individual that the camera has been activated. The forward-facing lights on the camera will be flashing ‘red’ when recording.

Body-worn camera footage will not be used as a facial recognition tool.

How does one get access to a video file? Can someone who is captured on the Body-Worn Camera footage have access to that footage?

CKPS has committed to posting our directive on our website for the public to access once it has been formalized.

Officers shall complete their notes prior to reviewing their Body-Worn Camera (BWC). When a BWC is used, recordings are intended to support the Officer’s observations and shall supplement detailed notebook entries and applicable reports.

Officers must follow the existing policy and guidelines governing the use of their Body-Worn Camera. Officers shall balance privacy rights with law enforcement needs and shall use discretion when deactivating their camera when it is safe to do so and the incident allows for it.

Members who do not follow procedures could face discipline following an internal investigation.

All data collected by a Body-Worn Camera is subject retention schedule set by our organization and in accordance with existing legislation surrounding Records & Information Management.

Body-worn camera data will be stored on a secure Canadian storage server in accordance with all applicable provincial and federal legislation and security best practices.

Our Digital Evidence Management System, Evidence.com(c), has been built with a robust auditing process. Officers do not have administrative permissions or access to edit or delete footage captured by their Body-Worn Camera.

All requests to view or edit the data must be made through the relevant provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and through a Freedom of Information Request. Videos will only be deleted in accordance with retention periods.

Axon Inc. is a worldwide leader in this technology. During our research and planning phase, extensive work was completed to ensure that Axon’s Digital Evidence Management Solution is secure and that the proper and appropriate mechanisms are in place to mitigate such risks.

An officer will only activate their camera while in the lawful execution of their duties. This means:

• Before arriving at a call for service
• When there is a decision to initiate contact with a member of the public, and where that contact is for the purpose of Police investigations, regardless of whether or not the person is within camera view.
• To record statements that would normally be taken in the field.
• To record interactions with a person in custody.
• To record any other situation or incident where a member believes capturing audio and/or video evidence would support them in the lawful execution of their duties.

When not recording and in “ready” mode, the camera is buffering every 30 seconds. Once it starts recording, it automatically includes the 30 seconds of recorded video, but no audio, before the officer starts to record. All audio and video is recorded once the “record” button is pressed.

Yes, but the officer will only be able to do so according to policy. In situations where there are concerns for police or public safety or the video has investigational value, the policy requires officers to keep the camera on.

The policy was also developed with the needs of victims in mind. It requires that officers be aware of the impact that recordings may have on individuals involved in incidents of a sensitive nature. In such cases, officers may temporarily obstruct the video to protect the privacy of another person. When this occurs, officers are required to provide a rationale as part of the recording or in their notebooks.

The camera will show three blinking red lights below the lens when recording. Additionally, during interactions that involve the use of body-worn cameras, when possible and at the earliest opportunity, officers will inform members of the public that they are being recorded. There may be times when an officer is unable to advise the public that they are being recorded.