Full rollout of body cameras for Halifax police could take until 2023
Cost of the program could be $3.7M over five years.
A full rollout of body-worn cameras for Halifax police could take until 2023.
According to a presentation being made to HRM's Board of Police Commissioners, the cost of the program could be $3.7 million over five years.
Police officials state in the report that "this is a necessary cost to ensure all uniformed officers who may interact with the public have access to a working camera at all times."
Board members and Halifax's police chief have expressed support for use of the devices.
According to a timeline laid out in the presentation, policies could be developed over the winter of 2021 with tenders for the equipment being issued the following spring or summer. The timeline would depend on budget approval.
Once equipment is purchased and training takes place, the body cameras would first be used in the traffic division.
It would take until the summer of 2022 for the body cameras to be used by the patrol division and another six months after that for the remaining positions to get the equipment.
Once all five phases of the rollout are completed an evaluation of the program would begin.
The presentation lists a dozen Canadian municipalities that already use body cameras, including Kentville, Truro, Fredericton and Saint John, which began using them in November.
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