Calgary officers dispute body camera distribution
CALGARY — Some Calgary Police Service members are disputing assurances from top brass that all front-line officers are equipped with body cameras.
One veteran officer told Postmedia that since being reassigned to patrol from his plainclothes unit several months ago, he and his colleagues have asked repeatedly to be issued cameras to no avail.
“We’re uncomfortable being out there, doing the front-line work, without one,” said one of the officers, who asked that Postmedia conceal his identity.
“Some of them don’t have partners that have body cameras.”
Calgary police top brass held a news conference on June 10 to address community concerns and best steps forward in dealing with Canada’s crisis involving systemic racism and police brutality.
During the media availability, deputy chief Katie McLellan told the media that since May 2019, all front-line Calgary officers had been equipped with body-worn cameras, and the force was looking into issuing them outside of the uniformed services.
The officers who spoke with Postmedia were mainly reassigned to patrol as part of COVID-19 coverage from plainclothes units that weren’t issued body cameras.
“I don’t feel safe, I don’t feel comfortable out there,” one officer said, describing bodyworn cameras as an indispensable tool — not only to protect citizens but also officers from unfounded or malicious abuse complaints.
Calgary was Canada’s first city to make body-worn cameras standard issue for frontline officers, deploying 1,150 last April.
While neither activists nor the police consider cameras to be the solution to systemic racism within Canadian policing, many agree it’s a good step toward transparency in law enforcement.
The cameras are so relied upon in Calgary, the officers said, they constantly get requests for body camera footage when use-of-force reports are submitted, despite repeated replies reiterating that they weren’t issued one.
“I can already start to feel the pressure — this is the piece of evidence they want, regardless of what your notes say,” the source said.
“If you don’t have a body cam to back you up, then you’re somehow being deceptive.”
Standard policy for members without the cameras, he said, is to be partnered with those who do, a policy confirmed to Postmedia by Calgary police.
Some, however, said they’re being forced to work solo, while others said meetings, court or temporary reassignments often result in shifts alone without a camera-toting partner.
Sharing cameras between two officers isn’t an ideal solution, he said, as some calls require a two-member car crew to split up — particularly when interviewing complainants during domestic calls, a risky part of any officer’s shift.
The officers are unequivocal in their support for mandatory body-worn cameras — describing them as an impartial, unblinking witness that can prove if an officer’s decision to use force was unwarranted or justified.
“If I have to use force and I’m lawfully placed, it shows my perspective as opposed to the camera that starts halfway through the situation and can be misconstrued,” the officer said.