Ottawa police now plan to pilot body cameras for officers

Ottawa police's chief confirmed the force will be equipping officers with body cameras as part of a pilot project, essentially reversing an earlier position on the issue.

In March of this year, the Ottawa Police Service said it was no longer looking into the possibility of outfitting officers with body cameras, and would instead focus on other priorities.

But a Toronto Police report released Thursday found that although the technology didn't meet officers' complete needs, body cameras "do provide the unbiased, independent account of police/community interactions, as expected," according to a Toronto police statement.

Toronto police are now seeking permission to open the bidding process for the contract to supply body cameras to the entire force.

Renewed call for body cameras after Abdirahman Abdi's

Body cameras have been introduced to police forces across North America and are seen as part of a solution dealing with rising tension over incidents involving confrontations with police.

In Ottawa, call for more accountability from police arose after Abdirahman Abdi died following what witnesses described as a violent arrest in July.

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A coalition formed after his death called Justice for Abdirahman made a number of recommendations, including that police to be required to wear body cameras and have cameras on their vehicles.

Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said Abdi's death was not why police revisited the pilot, though he acknowledged it "highlighted the demands and requests from the community to have this technology introduced."

"We've been having that discussion for a couple of years now, as far as what was happening in the United States and how can body-worn cameras help [ensure] that there is accountability there is transparency," he said.

Bordeleau said the Toronto experience has answered a lot of questions about how the technology would work.

Study body cameras: former officer

Greg Brown, a former Ottawa police officer who has studied police interactions as a doctoral researcher at Carleton University, said he was encouraged to see police move forward with the pilot.

He said police should take their time to make sure they get the policies and procedures right before introducing the equipment, saying the finer details need to be worked out for the public to trust the technology.

"There are a lot of issues of when the camera is turned on and when the camera is turned off, privacy issues...[and] issues around data storage," Brown told Alan Neal on CBC Radio's All In A Day on Friday.

"There has to be a public educational component that comes with the camera...the public has to understand difference between police use of force and police brutality," he said.

Officers mixed on body cameras

Brown said police officers in favour of the technology welcome body cameras as an alternative to cellphone videos, which may not begin until an interaction between and police officer and member of the public is well underway.

Some studies also suggest visible cameras can act to detract more aggressive public behaviour, he said.

But some officers worry the cameras will curb their ability to exercise discretion when interacting with the public and will add yet another piece of equipment to their uniform, said Brown.

Some officers also say the move to body cameras is "yet another deterioration in the trust in police officers," he added.

"A lot of officers say this is a progression where if it's not on video the police can't be believed," he said.