Winnipeg police to start wearing body cameras next week

A new pilot project will see 40 Winnipeg police officers wearing body cameras next week. Jeff Keele reports.

Winnipeg police officers will be wearing cameras to capture video starting June 10.

Over the next six months, 40 frontline officers are being equipped with the body cameras as part of a pilot project, with the aim of outfitting up to 700 frontline officers in 2027.

The cameras will be turned on when officers are responding to calls, doing enforcement, during investigations, and when an officer initiates an interaction with an individual.

Deputy Chief George Labossière says this is about accountability.

“We owe it to the police service, and more importantly to the citizens of Winnipeg, to show what is happening and how our officers are responding,” said Labossière.

Labossière believes this will also improve safety, as people may act differently if they know the cameras are rolling. He also says this will help prosecutors in court.

“This is the best way to ensure the facts come out,” he said.

But some members of the public may have privacy concerns about being recorded by police. Police board member Diane Redsky asked about how the footage is stored.

“I think it’s important to be more clear with the public on what happens with the data,” said Redsky.

Police say the video footage collected will be secured, and the data is owned by the police, with no outside access. They say Canada and Manitoba have strict privacy rules compared to the U.S.

“It’s protected, it’s retained and controlled by City of Winnipeg retention bylaws, and only disclosed through appropriate means,” said Insp. Colin Brander.

Police will be gathering feedback from the pilot program through public forums and a survey.