‘It’s about accountability and transparency’

The Winnipeg Police Service will equip 40 officers with body cameras in June in a pilot project that won’t cost taxpayers a dime.

Chief Gene Bowers, who announced the program Friday at a Winnipeg Police Board meeting, said manufacturer Axon Public Safety has agreed to a free trial period.

He told reporters the program will provide better evidence and boost transparency.

“It’s about accountability and transparency… (and), from a Winnipeg police standpoint, any time there’s a critical incident that occurs, the first thing we’re looking for is video. So, I think it’s incumbent on us to provide that video,” he said.

The cameras can be set up to automatically begin recording when a Taser or gun is pulled from an officer’s holster, said Bowers.

He said he does not have a cost estimate to deploy cameras for all officers, but believes the price has dropped substantially in recent years.

WPS has long considered adding the cameras throughout the force, with the expense typically cited as a reason not to do so.

A $1-million pilot project was slated for 2016 but was later cancelled to save money. In 2021, another proposal for a citywide program was expected to cost $32 million by the end of 2027, including the price of video storage.

City council rejected that plan.

“The technology’s advanced so much. Like anything, the prices go down.”

Bowers said the price would be “dramatically” lower now, since the provincial government has provided a new digital evidence management system for the police service and the devices themselves are cheaper.

“The technology’s advanced so much. Like anything, the prices go down,” he said.

Bowers hopes to slowly integrate cameras and didn’t provide a target timeline for when WPS would decide on a permanent, service-wide program.

He said Canadian privacy laws will govern how evidence is used, making it unlikely much police video will be publicly released.

The police board, which oversees the service, supports the project, said chairwoman Colleen Mayer.

“The board is favourable (toward) body-worn cameras. There is support, we’ve conveyed that to the (WPS) chief. But we are also looking for more information as that pilot project information (becomes) available to us. We’ll continue to monitor that information,” said Mayer.

She also expects the addition of cameras to help increase accountability.

“It would allow for better reporting and understanding what happened (during) events,” said Mayer.

The head of the union that represents Winnipeg police officers said the cameras could provide additional evidence and another layer of accountability, on top of oversight that’s already in place.

In an email, Winnipeg Police Association president Cory Wiles said the union does have concerns about how much the program could cost and whether the money could be better spent to add officers instead.

“That total cost may be alarming… We have a service that is being stretched extremely thin and I have routinely lobbied for additional resources for our members as a result,” he wrote.

Wiles said he’s still seeking more detail on how the program will be implemented.

“We would also hope that those that review officers’ video have a good understanding of police practices, the limitations of video and the known discrepancies between what is seen on video compared to the naked eye,” he wrote.

Many law enforcement agencies began using body-worn cameras in the past few years.

Manitoba RCMP equipped front-line officers with body cameras in 2024.

All 12 Manitoba First Nations Police Service detachments were equipped with the devices as of January.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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