Police accountability a top issue during town hall on WRPS body-worn cameras

People asked pointed questions of police about accountability during a town hall on body-worn cameras Tuesday night. 
Waterloo regional police began piloting 70 body-worn cameras out of its North Division in June, along with 40 in-car video systems. 

During the town hall, hosted by the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW, Superintendent Shaena Morris said the cameras should be turned on during any kind of enforcement or investigation. 

But community member Maedith Radlein questioned how officers will be held accountable if they aren't using their cameras when they're supposed to. 

"Very often the consequence is suspension with pay, and as a racialized person who has seen the effect of uncontrolled police work …  there needs to be stronger consequences, because when somebody's life is taken, or somebody is injured, that is a permanent injury and consequence to that individual or family," said Radlein. 

In response, police Chief Bryan Larkin said there needs to be changes made at a provincial level to "modernize" the current system of police discipline and bolster public trust in policing. 

"To be very candid, it's very difficult in Ontario to terminate a police officer, we're a heavily unionized work environment, our employment format is quite frankly, very antiquated," said Larkin, who is also president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

In July, the association called on the province to make "substantive and sweeping" changes to the current discipline system, including suspension without pay. 

At a local level, Larkin said the service has audit mechanisms in place for the pilot project, and is working with officers so they understand why they're being used. 

Privacy 

During Tuesday's town hall, Morris said officers are not to record in the following situations, except in exigent circumstances:

• Non-investigative work, like directing traffic.
• Strip searches.
• Administrative conversations.
• When the revealing of information could endanger a person's life or physical safety.
• In a courthouse or hospital. 
• Indigenous or religious ceremonies. 

Officers must also ask for consent before recording inside a private residence. 

Community member Ekram Al Momani questioned what they would do if the person inside the residence had a language barrier. 

"The way the officers have been trained is, the most important sacred piece when wearing a body worn video system is never to infringe on someone's privacy," said Morris, though she noted a risk to public safety could override this rule. 

Morris said the officer must make all reasonable efforts to find a translator. If they can't, they should err on the side of caution by not recording. 

Waterloo regional police are in the midst of an privacy impact assessment regarding the use of body-worn and in-car cameras with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The services internal procedures on the use of cameras are based in large part on the Toronto Police Service's, which began using the cameras last August. 

The project was originally slated for six months with a budget of around $200,000, though Larkin said he expects to request the pilot be extended for further evaluation.