Failed camera rollout ‘unreal’

Force not sincere: brother of man killed by police

A failed plan to equip Calgary police officers with body cameras next year has stoked the anger and suspicion from the brother of a man shot and killed by an officer last year.

Calgary Police Service says technical failures of the body video/radio combination system it bought means they are back to Square 1 in their search for suitable body cameras to outfit local officers.

It means continued unaccountability for Calgary police, said Grant Heffernan, an older brother of Anthony Heffernan, 27, who was fatally shot by an officer in a northeast hotel room in March 2015.

The man said he also has doubts about the force’s sincerity in wanting to equip its members with the devices.

“That is unbelievable, it’s unreal,” Heffernan said.

In September, Crown prosecutors opted not to lay charges against the officer who shot Heffernan — despite police watchdog agency Alberta Serious Incident Response Team’s contention the law was likely broken.

Government lawyers said there was little chance of a conviction.

Heffernan noted the force has been working on employing body cameras for the past three years.

“Wouldn’t they have figured out what the best unit is by now?” he said, adding the force doesn’t want a proper light shone on its practices.

“It’s the only way there’ll be any accountability.”

But Coun. Ward Sutherland, a member of the Calgary police commission, dismissed Heffernan’s accusations as utter nonsense.

The force was acting in good faith when it ordered the body camera units from Utah-based Safety Innovations, only to discover the device that worked well in initial testing didn’t perform correctly, he said.

“From my understanding, the supplier of the camera changed how they manufactured them, contributing to all these failures which were not occurring before,” Sutherland said. “It’s very disappointing and the police are just as mad as anyone about it.”

He said officers have told him they’re eager to take possession of the units, partly to strengthen public confidence in the force, but also to prevent suspects from filing bogus complaints against officers.

“These people are constantly making complaints against police … we’re hoping it’ll save us significant court time,” Sutherland said.

He also said the force is trying to reclaim $1.3 million that was part of a three-year contract with the supplier.

Last February, Postmedia reported the failures in the units occurred in the microphone component, causing interference for the entire police network.

The Calgary Police Service would have been the first force in Canada to use body-worn cameras.

Sutherland said he’ll be seeking more answers about the failed procurement at the Calgary police commission public meeting Tuesday, including how much longer the force expects to wait.

But Sutherland said a range of protocols for using the devices has been completed, meaning “a lot of heavy lifting’s been done.”

Wouldn’t they have figured out what the best unit is by now? It’s the only way there’ll be any accountability.”