Halifax police get funding for body cameras in approved budget

Halifax police will get funds for new civilian positions and body-worn cameras, after councillors approved full budgets for both the municipal police and RCMP.

On Wednesday, the city's budget committee approved Halifax Regional Police's $101.2-million budget for 2025-26, up about 3.3 per cent from last year.

Much of the increase comes from salaries and compensation, but about $462,000 will go toward seven new civilian employees. They include two victim services roles focused on domestic violence, an auditor, a quartermaster who handles equipment, and a forensic media specialist to organize video evidence.

There is also about $847,500 to cover the costs of starting up a new digital-evidence system to handle video, in-car cameras and body cameras. The costs will jump to $3.3 million next year for equipment and staffing when the program is fully operational.

"This budget is about advancing initiatives that have been fought for regularly year over year," said Coun. Becky Kent, who is also on the board of police commissioners that endorsed the budget.

"We continue to grow. If we don't grow in a way that is ready for the things that come with the kind of growth that large cities have, in our policing service we're going to be caught off guard."

Chief Don MacLean and other senior officers said their current system for handling cellphone or security camera videos is outdated, and it takes a great deal of police time to vet and prepare the material for Crown prosecutors.

MacLean said clear policies will govern how body cameras are used, and video they gather will be carefully controlled like any other evidence. He said bodycam footage will be helpful in determining exactly what happened in situations where police are accused of wrongdoing.

"It creates that level of accountability in a time when accountability has become an issue," MacLean said.

Halifax's defund the police report from 2022 recommended against bodycams because the systems are expensive and Canadian research found no clear evidence they lead to fewer police complaints or reduce police use of force.

But Coun. Tony Mancini supported the move, and said with Halifax RCMP rolling out their own body cameras this year it didn't make sense for one force to have them and not the other.

"We've had cops that have done things wrong, we've had complaints from residents that weren't true. Body-worn cameras would have been very beneficial," Mancini said.

Police expect to roll out the new digital-evidence system this fall, with in-car cameras coming in January 2026 and body cameras in March 2026.

Although Mayor Andy Fillmore said he's always looking for cuts this budget season, with Halifax facing a 7.6 per cent property tax bill hike, policing is not the place.

"We will have to make some hard choices. However, I am also keenly interested in ensuring that HRM modernizes as an organization through the use of technology and data and digitization, and I think we have a moment before us right now to help HRP make that evolution," Fillmore said.

Representatives from the Spring Garden Area Business Association and a retail advocacy group asked the committee for more patrol officers to address rising thefts. But most residents who spoke before the budget committee last week and the police board in January opposed the HRP budget increase.

They pointed to research showing safety doesn't go up when police budgets increase, and said they had lost trust in how the forces deal with marginalized people. Multiple people said the money would be better spent on housing, supporting people who are homeless, transit services or libraries.

"One asks themselves if police are costing our communities more than they serve," said resident Kiera Blackadar last Wednesday.

Attempt to make budget cuts fails

Coun. Shawn Cleary suggested sending the budget back to the police board to cut either $462,000 for new services or $847,500 for the body cameras and digital-evidence program.

He noted that both non-violent and violent crime severity indexes for Halifax are below the national average, and the budget report shows calls HRP are dispatched to have hovered around 100,000 annually for the past few years.

This year council is also considering funding a mobile crisis service of two civilian teams that could respond to mental health calls on a 24/7 basis, rather than police.

"I can't in good conscience continue to add HRP officers and civilian members while we're still redesigning our approach to public safety," Cleary said.

But that motion failed 12-5, with only councillors Cleary, Sam Austin, Patty Cuttell, Virginia Hinch and Laura White voting in favour.

A proposed armoured vehicle for HRP is part of the capital budget and has been moved to the budget adjustment list — a running tally of extra items, or cuts, for the budget. That will be finalized in March.

Halifax RCMP also had their $39-million budget approved. An extra $2.8 million for 14 new officers, including a traffic position in Musquodoboit Harbour, a community policing officer in Sheet Harbour, and new community offices with six positions apiece in Beechville and Fall River, will be finalized later in the budget season.

The entire budget will be approved in April.