The Vancouver Police Department’s body-worn camera (BWC) pilot project is being extended.
The six-month pilot was initially intended to end on June 30, but the VPD now says it will run until the end of the year.
Participating officers will continue to wear the cameras on a voluntary basis.
“We are continuing to work with Crown counsel to streamline processes as well as continuing to work to determine the effect of BWCs when it comes to police complaints,” Vancouver police spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said.
“It is important to maintain momentum for this within VPD and with the public so we felt it was worth the cost and effort to continue the project beyond the pilot period.”
Visintin said officers have reported feeling an increase in positive interactions with the public, and “some members have stated they would never want to give their camera back.”
The Vancouver Police Union said it has agreed to the extension, but still has some concerns about it.
Union president Ralph Kaisers said so far there haven’t been any cases where body-worn camera footage has gone through the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner or the Independent Investigations Office process.
He said the union wants to see data showing the cameras will actually show a benefit when it comes to oversight or accountability.
“If there is no evidence that BWC is going to expedite the police complaint process or the IIO process, then why are we wearing them?” he asked.
“If a member is wearing a BWC and they are involved in an incident where there is a complaint against them … and the video is viewed, watched, and it is clear that the member has done nothing wrong, that complaints should have been literally concluded right then and there. That’s our hope, and we certainly haven’t seen anything like that yet.”
Body-worn cameras have earned strong support from B.C.’s civilian police watchdog, but numerous groups including the BC Civil Liberties Association and Canadian Civil Liberties Association have raised concerns about them, particularly involving privacy.
Vancouver criminal lawyer Kyla Lee said the cameras can pose privacy concerns for the public and the officers wearing them.
“Oftentimes police officers are going into very private spaces like people’s homes, shelters, places where people have a high expectation of privacy,” she said. “And whether or not that type of private information should be disclosed, especially to a defendant in a criminal trial, who may be tempted to use that information in a nefarious way, is a big concern.”
She said there are also concerns for officers who may have private and non-work-related conversations with colleagues, spouses or family members while the cameras are active.
The initial budget for Vancouver’s pilot project was $307,000 and the VPD said no additional funds would be required to extend it.