Body cameras no solution for TTC
In May 2024, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will begin its body-worn camera (BWC) pilot project will see its special constables and fare inspectors equipped with the devices. The cost of the nine-month project is $1.243 million with “funds to carry the program forward,” already in place according to Angela Gibson, the TTC’s interim executive director of fare technology.
The TTC runs campaigns to remind the public about its losses due to fare evasion and its attempts to keep fares reasonability priced. Yet, the TTC plans to spend millions on ineffective technology that they claim will somehow improve transparency, increase public trust, and maximize its revenue protection.
The available evidence suggests that equipping TTC special constables and fare inspectors with BWCs will do little to address these claims by the TTC. Much of what we know about the effectiveness of BWCs comes from studies on police use of the devices.
The research on the benefits of the devices is inconsistent. A metaanalysis of 70 studies of police BWCs, for instance, showed no statistically significant effects on most of the tested measures concerning officer or citizen behaviour, or even public views of police.
What is certain is that BWCs demonstrably increase police budgets and will do the same for TTC. We can reasonably anticipate that BWCs will lead to forthcoming fare increases to cover the costs of an inconsistently effective and expensive technology.
Transparency is characterized by visibility, and Canadians are generally not privy to BWC footage due to privacy protections which also allow police to withhold footage. Requests to view one’s own BWC footage usually requires a freedom of information (FOI) request, including the knowledge, ability, and wherewithal to do so.
The FOI process is also subject to lengthy delays and disclosure exemptions.
A 2021 encounter between three Toronto police officers and university student Hasani O’Gilvie illustrates the point. O’Gilvie and his lawyer have sought to have the body camera footage of the incident released through a FOI request. The request has been denied, according to a Toronto police spokesperson, who indicated that the footage is “excluded” from a freedom of information request since it “relates to an employment proceeding.”
Unhoused persons or those with mental health concerns on TTC are more likely to come into confrontation with TTC special constables and fare inspectors, leading to possible escalation. These persons are also likely to face barriers accessing legal representation, the internet, and general guidance on acquiring BWC footage of their interactions with TTC employees through FOI requests, posing serious limitations to transparency.
Additionally, it is not clear exactly how BWCs will increase transparency and build trust in the TTC if the Toronto public generally cannot expect to view TTC BWC footage due to privacy regulations. In fact, there is a reasonable case to be made that social media has done more for transparency than BWCs.
Time and again the public has become aware of use of force incidents involving authorities when citizens document such encounters with their smart phones.
A 25-second bystander video documenting a violent interaction just last month on a TTC subway train shows five Toronto police officers surround a man and pull him to the ground while one officer kicks the man three times. The incident is under investigation and no matter the outcome, the public can expect to never see the BWC footage of the incident.
We also know that surveillance cameras and BWCs do not deter bad behaviour. If they did, no one would ever steal from a convenience store or assault a police officer wearing a camera.
Body cameras will do little to increase transparency, build trust, or maximize revenue protection.
Rather, investing the $1.243-million cost of the pilot and the available funds to carry it forward into known strategies to improving the transit system would do much more to tangibly improve the TCC, resulting in increasing overall ridership and maximizing revenue protection.