TORONTO - The Toronto Police Services Board has approved the purchase of 2,350 body cameras to equip the city's officers.
The board made its decision this afternoon during a meeting in which it also considered multiple reports related to police reforms.
The addition of body cameras was proposed by Toronto city council in a series of changes to policing amid ongoing protests denouncing systemic racism.
Widespread protests have taken place in Canada and the U.S. in recent months following the death of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who died while a white police officer pressed a knee against his neck for nearly eight minutes.
Demonstrators in Toronto have also called for defunding local police, and highlighted the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Black woman who fell from her apartment's balcony while in the presence of six police officers.
The province's police watchdog is investigating Korchinski-Paquet's death.
STATEMENT FROM TORONTO POLICE:
Today, the Toronto Police Service received approval from the Toronto Police Services Board to move forward with the delivery of a Service-wide body-worn camera program.
By the end of August, frontline police officers in the northwest area of the city will start to use body-worn camera technology during interactions with the public.
“Body-worn cameras will be used to create trust and legitimacy between officers and the public as we continue to modernize policing services,” said Interim Chief James Ramer. “This technology provides an independent, bias-free account of our interactions and reinforces our commitment to deliver accountable and transparent policing,".
By fall 2021, 2,350 cameras will be in use across the city. Before deployment, every officer will be trained on the operational use of the camera and the associated governance, which include minimum penalties for non-compliance.
The Service has worked with the Information & Privacy Commissioner, the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Special Investigations Unit, and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, to develop a program that considers privacy, security, and disclosure responsibilities for the body-worn cameras.
With few exceptions, body-worn cameras will be used when an officer arrives at a call for service, begins an investigation, or when asking a person questions for the purposes of collecting information.
Details about costs and the contract with vendor Axon Canada are available in the Service's Board Report.