Vancouver council to vote on body-worn cameras for VPD officers

A city staff report notes Vancouver Police Department officers have more than a million contacts with the public every year

Vancouver council will vote this week on a motion to move ahead with body-worn cameras for police officers in the city.

The idea of a camera program for cops on patrol in B.C. has been on the books since 2015, when a special committee looking at the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) recommended their implementation as another layer of oversight of police interactions with the public.

A city staff report notes Vancouver Police Department officers have more than a million contacts with the public every year and get an average of 650 calls for service each day.

The report says an extensive body of academic research on body-worn cameras “has shown to decrease the number of public complaints against police officers as well as to decrease the use of force by police officers,” though it warns their use must be balanced with privacy considerations.

B.C.’s independent investigator said at the time “such devices were becoming increasingly common in other jurisdictions, particularly in the U.S., and that evidence from these jurisdictions suggested that body-worn cameras could assist certain IIO investigative files, including emergency response team deployments, police dog-handling issues and conducted energy weapon incidents.”

VPD Chief Const. Adam Palmer has expressed support for cameras to build public trust in police.

The report notes cost is a key barrier, not just for the equipment but administration, maintenance, data storage, transcription and disclosure. “It is important to understand the full scope of implementing and maintaining a camera program and the significant investment of public funds involved.”

With about 800 officers on front-line duty in Vancouver — though that many cameras wouldn’t be needed because they’re not all on shift at once — the per-unit cost estimate of $2,000 to $3,000 means the program wouldn’t be cheap. If slightly less than half that number of cameras are in operation, it would amount to roughly $1 million a year.

The national RCMP is in the early stages of rolling out 10,000 to 15,000 body-worn cameras across the country, beginning with a field test of 300 cameras in three divisions.

But the benefits are significant: the 2015-16 annual report of the IIO reviewed 71 investigations and found that cop cameras could have helped resolve 93 per cent of cases sooner, resulting in cost savings and reduced stress for all involved.

The report called moving ahead now on a camera program “is timely and warranted,” and recommends council formally support it. If approved, the motion would call for staff to work with the VPD and other stakeholders and report back early in 2024. The cameras would then be implemented by 2025.

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