Police officers search for evidence during a call in this November 2021 file photo.--News File Photo
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
A push by the province to have body-worn cameras on all municipal police officers in Alberta “as swiftly as possible” will accelerate a plan in Medicine Hat to use the technology.
Currently, the Medicine Hat Police Service has 26 of the cameras, used to record interactions between officers and the public during investigations and traffic stops.
That is enough for most, but not all on-duty officers, and local senior police officials say the cost of expanded use is still to be worked out with the province.
On Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said a province-wide mandate will be developed over several months toward having the technology used on a consistent basis by all officers in municipal and First Nations police agencies.
MHPS chief Alan Murphy said the Medicine Hat service is advanced on how to use the systems, but meeting new provincial requirements will come with added costs, but “we’re not there yet with the details.”
“For us it’s fairly simple because we have some (cameras) rolled out already and not all agencies do,” he told the News. “The details are whether there will be funding for agencies.”
“As body camera use increases the storage increases – you have to store all the video and there is a cost to that – and there is also a cost that an agency our size would probably require two employees to manage the program.”
In the last year MHPS has added 20 new camera units after the technology was examined in a successful 2017 pilot project.
At that time six body units were issued to patrol and traffic unit officers and two dash-mounted vehicle cameras were installed.
The current goal was to have cameras with most patrol members, and all traffic and downtown unit officers by 2026.
MHPS has about 100 officers in total, but only up to one-third are on duty at any given time. Additional camera units would also be needed considering repair and maintenance needs, said Murphy. Capital cost estimates are now being developed.
Ellis didn’t outline cost estimates, potential funding requirements or a timetable at the press announcement.
“All options are on the table, but I’ll leave this in the hands of the working group,” he said referring to recommendations expected from the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police.
The cost per camera unit is only about $950, but the larger cost consideration is ongoing cost of filing and storing footage, said Murphy.
Footage is being dealt with by one evidence clerk as part of other duties. Universal use would require one dedicated clerk in Medicine Hat to process footage, said Murphy, while another would handle evidence requests when footage is forwarded to courts and Crown prosecutors.
That process will likely be highly regulated and standardized across the province, said Murphy, who said local officers see the cameras in general as a positive.
Ellis said the move is needed to ensure transparency and for use in both criminal cases and complaints from the public about alleged misconduct.
“The demand for transparency has never been more clear,” said Ellis when announcing the changes on Tuesday alongside Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee.
Calgary police made the cameras mandatory in 2019, while Edmonton has conducted a pilot.
“Building trust between police and the community … is central and most essential for the transformational change that we are undertaking in Alberta.”
This winter, rural RCMP officers around Grand Prairie began a pilot project to institute camera use as that police force plans for nationwide use.
Phased pilots are also currently taking place in Nova Scotia and Nunavut.
