Body-worn cameras back on Hamilton police board agenda

The call for police to wear body-worn cameras has resurfaced amid protests - locally and internationally - against anti-Black racism and questions about police funding.

Numerous letters submitted in June to the Hamilton police services board called on Hamilton police to equip front-line officers with cameras. The footage can be used to review incidents, including after people are killed and in allegations of excessive force.

Last November, when the police board voted down the use of cameras, Chief Eric Girt said body-worn cameras come with myriad issues," including cost and data storage.

But it's an issue that the board reviews annually, looking to other jurisdictions and how cameras are used.

After discussing the correspondence received at June's police board meeting, members voted to fast-track a police report on the issue to the upcoming meeting in September.

Girt said the concern isn't the one-time expense of buying the hardware, but rather how the data is stored, reviewed and used.

Commenting at the June board meeting, he said Hamilton police have been closely monitoring the Canadian situation."

He said the police service would like to see federal or provincial government funding, and also regulations to make the cameras consistent across the province."

In an interview with The Spectator, Hamilton Police Association president Clint Twolan said the union isn't against cameras. He believed they would likely help officers more than hurt them by showing what really happens in most police encounters.

They could deter a lot of complaints," he said.

But the question comes down to cost. At a time when there is increasing pressure to reduce police budgets, where would the money come from to pay for the cameras and their upkeep?

In Toronto, there is a push by Mayor John Tory to equip all officers with body-worn cameras by January.

Peel police have also announced they're beginning the process to equip officers with cameras.

However, not everyone sees the cameras as worth the expense, especially during a time when there are calls to reduce police budgets.

Sandy Hudson, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto, told the Toronto Star that the focus on cameras is simply giving police more money for something that won't make communities safer.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com