Police should embrace video, says outgoing SIU chief
Social media and smart phones make for 'very compelling' evidence, says Ian Scott
Ontario police should do more to embrace social media and portable video, according to the outgoing head of the province's Special Investigations Unit.
Ian Scott, who finished five years as the head of the police watchdog Friday, says the spread of technologies including video-capable cellphones and the surveillance cameras in Toronto's downtown core can lead to "very compelling pieces of evidence" in investigations.
Video footage is key to the unit's investigations into cases, including the Sammy Yatim shooting and the G20 protests.
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"Ultimately, [video] is a truth-seeking tool, which I think we should all be in favour of," said Scott during an interview with CBC's Dwight Drummond.
Scott's tenure was marked by an ongoing and public feud with Toronto police Chief Bill Blair. Scott says Blair, unlike other Ontario chiefs, did not answer his letters.
"As I leave today I think I've written about 110 letters, well over 100, [to Blair]," said Scott. He received one reply.
Scott says he was surprised by the "resistance to accountability" from Ontario cops.
"I thought there would be a bigger buy-in," he said.
"I now view civilian oversight as a journey as opposed to a destination."
With files from CBC's Dwight Drummond