The rollout of body-worn cameras among B.C. RCMP is set to begin soon, with Cranbrook RCMP and Cranbrook Highway Patrol among the first six B.C. detachments to adopt the new tech.
RCMP officials say about 300 cameras will be distributed to frontline police in Mission, Tofino, Ucluelet, Cranbrook and the Cranbrook British Columbia Highway Patrol, Kamloops and Prince George beginning November 24.
“The introduction of the cameras is now the national standard for the RCMP and it addresses calls I have personally heard from local, regional, Indigenous and provincial leaders to address the overall need to enhance public trust and confidence in policing,” said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald.
“While the RCMP has used cameras for over a decade, the evolution of the technology and supporting infrastructure has advanced in such a way that allows us to roll out the cameras to a much broader group—specifically—frontline officers who engage with thousands of people in British Columbia on a daily basis.”
The cameras will be on through an officer’s entire shift but must be activated to record audio and video.
McDonald says the cameras will be activated when RCMP officers respond to a call for service or engage with a person and will not be used in surveillance or 24-hour recording.
“Once the cameras are in use across the province, the video will provide us with an unbiased first-person account of incidents involving the police and members of the public,” said McDonald.
“Having a tool that makes our actions visible, provides clear evidence and may also result in a reduction of public complaints, is an initiative the BC RCMP wholeheartedly welcomes.”
Police estimate each device to cost $3,000 per camera each year, with the Federal Government covering $50 million per year.
“That [$3,000] costs is the entire package, so that’s not only the camera, it’s the personnel required and the infrastructure to support that camera use,” said McDonald.
“It’s our hope that we will have technical solutions for things like vetting and transcriptions, which are currently done by people. Hopefully, we find a way to automate transcriptions to get that cost down. Any efficiencies we can get will be reflected in the overall cost.”
Police officials say a phased rollout will give communities and detachments time to refine the use of the new cameras.
“The call for more police transparency has been clearly articulated by the public and from governments across Canada,” said Assistant Commissioner John Brewer.
“As the officer who oversees operations for the BC RCMP in the province, I am pleased that the cameras will be deployed starting next week and throughout 2025. We anticipate that nearly all frontline RCMP officers will be using the cameras by early 2026.”
As British Columbia’s provincial police service, the BC RCMP will represent the largest roll-out of any police agency in the province with more than 3,000 cameras to be deployed over the next 12 to 18 months.
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