Ahead of B.C. RCMP body camera rollout, expert warns footage ‘never going to be released’

BC RCMP will begin equipping front-line officers with body-worn cameras this winter. (CTV file photo)

As the RCMP prepare to strap cameras to the chests of front-line police officers, an expert warns they might not work — at least, not in the way some had hoped.

B.C. RCMP are rolling out body-worn cameras in a phased approach, starting this winter with a handful of departments, including those in Cranbrook, Kamloops, Mission, Prince George, Tofino and Ucluelet.

“The most important point of this program is strengthening transparency, accountability and public trust,” B.C. RCMP spokesperson Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said in an interview with CTV News.

Body-worn cameras have long been viewed as a tool that could contribute to reductions in police use of force and public complaints. The evidence behind that idea is inconsistent, said Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University.

“Sometimes they do; sometimes they don’t; sometimes there’s no statistical significance between officers with cameras and officers without,” said Schneider, who has written several peer-reviewed papers about body-worn cameras. Schneider pointed to a 2014 study out of Rialto, California, which suggested the presence of body-worn cameras reduced public complaints and police use of force. Meanwhile, a 2015 report from the Edmonton Police Service found no evidence cameras reduce complaints or use of force.

Jump to 2024, and the focus has shifted to “accountability and transparency,” Schneider said. The existing research doesn’t measure those broad terms, which have different meanings to different people, he said.

“I’m in love with the idea of the cameras,” he said. “I want them to lead to transparency and accountability. I’m just critical and sceptical because they just don’t.”

Grieving mother calls for cameras

At full rollout, the RCMP will have roughly 3,000 cameras deployed in B.C. and 10,000 nationwide. For the most part, Clark said officers will be expected to hit record whenever they’re investigating something.

“The officer will operate the camera while initiating contact with the public or in a law enforcement capacity,” he said. “So, if they’ve pulled you over for a traffic infraction, then anticipate that the camera will be running.”

There could be situations where the camera stops rolling, Clark said, including in places where there’s a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as homes and religious spaces.

“That’s part of our training, is to ensure that the members understand when and why to turn on the camera,” he said.

“It’s going to be dependent on the situation and certainly some level of discretion.”

A Vancouver Island woman who lost a child at the hands of police has long advocated for body-worn cameras.

“In 2024, why are policemen not wearing cameras?” said Martha Martin, whose daughter, Chantel Moore, was shot and killed by Edmundston, NB police in 2020.

Martin was part of a group of grieving mothers who spoke at Parliament Hill on Tuesday, calling for a national inquiry into police killings of racialized people.

“Body cams: It’s accountability for them and it’s safety for us as well,” she said.

If grieving families want access to the footage of their loved one’s final moments, Schneider said chances are, they won’t get it.

‘It’s the public’s footage’

Canadian privacy legislation limits the public release of body-worn camera footage because it often contains personal information.

“If the public… are expecting that they’re going to see body-worn camera footage when there’s a critical incident in question, they’re not going to. It’s never going to be released,” Schneider said.

If someone wants access to a recording they are in, they’ll likely have to file a freedom of information request.

“It’s the public who are funding these cameras. It’s the public’s footage,” Schneider said. “If you’re in the footage, you should be provided access to it.”

The public could push the federal government to relax restrictions on the recordings, Schneider said. Communities could also advocate for policies that uphold accountability, he added.

“A good place to start would be if an officer is found to have intentionally concealed their body-worn camera,” he said.

“That should be a fireable offence. Full stop. And that’s an accountability measure… that communities can bring forth when we’re rolling out body worn cameras.”

Cameras helpful in other areas

Each camera costs $3,000 a year, Clark said, putting the annual cost of the national program at $30 million.

“That’s a lot of money to spend on something that doesn’t really work, at least in the way that we’ve tested,” Schneider said.

Police departments that are already using the cameras have reported two wins, Clark said.

“When a [citizen] complaint comes in, the video can be reviewed and we can determine very quickly whether we need to proceed with a further investigation or whether it’s more frivolous in nature,” he said.

“There’s also benefits to evidence gathering.”

The RCMP have been having the body-worn camera conversation for quite some time, Clark said.

“We tried to talk to as many people as possible in the lead up to this, ensuring that everybody’s concerns are heard. So this wasn’t done in a silo,” he said.

“Having these cameras will certainly help to build and continue to maintain public trust and that accountability, that transparency.”