Police to test use of body scanners
Technology intended to find contraband without using strip searches
Toronto Police are moving ahead with a six-month pilot project as they prepare to use body scanners.
The scanners are intended to locate evidence or contraband without “level 3” searches, also known as strip searches, police said in a press release Thursday.
The use of the technology will not eliminate the use of stripsearches entirely, the police added.
“Similar technology is used at airports, as well as correctional facilities, here in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta,” said Toronto Police spokesperson Meaghan Gray.
Abody scan can find any items on, or inside a person.
“The Toronto Police Service believes there is technology available that allows us to modernize our current search processes, increase public trust and accountability, and reduce the intrusiveness of such searches,” Gray said. “These are reasons alone to consider such a project.”
Rob De Luca, director of the public safety program with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), noted that importance of maintaining personal privacy with the scanner technology.
“We don’t have a concern with the technology, as long as there are sufficient safe-guards in place,” said De Luca.
The police media release notes that the project team handling the scanners’ imple- mentation has consulted with Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, and has received a legal opinion from the Ministry of the Attorney General. “Searches conducted by the Toronto Police Service are conducted within the parameters of law,” the release notes.
The data would be stored for 30 days following the scan provided nothing is found, police say. If an item is located on the scan and criminal charges result, the images would be kept for court.
De Luca pointed to the importance of determining whether or not there will be an increase in searches because the technology is available. “If they’re using the search solely in cases where a strip search is justified under the law …, then I think it could be a helpful addition,” he said. De Luca noted that there is a very narrow subset of cases where strip searches are justified.
Said Gray: “Each circumstance is evaluated on a caseby-case basis and officers must make a determination, based on reasonable grounds, to conduct any level of search. If a Level 3 Search (strip search) is determined to be appropriate, the full body scanner will be used.”
Anyone subjected to a scan will be able to refuse, but would then be subject to a physical search, the release says. The scanners “will only be used to conduct searches of people in our custody would have otherwise been stripped-searched by our officers,” she said.
Toronto police conduct some 55 strip searches a day, or 20,000 a year, according to the media release.