The plan to roll out police officer-worn body cameras in Calgary has been delayed once again.
The Calgary Police Service (CPS) originally pulled the plug on the program earlier this year due to technical difficulties.
On Tuesday, police announced the plan would be further delayed after negotiations broke down between CPS and the supplier – Safety Innovations.
READ MORE: Integrity in policing and body-worn cameras on agenda at Calgary Police Commission meeting
The announcement comes in the wake of four police officer-involved shootings in Calgary within the last six weeks.
Three officers were also charged with assault at the beginning of October in connection with the beating of a man while he was handcuffed.
READ MORE: Alberta police watchdog cites ‘dishonesty’ of Calgary officers charged with assault
Greg Heffernan told Global News he wants to see the technology rolled out as soon as possible.
His brother, Anthony, was shot and killed by a police officer in March 2015.
It took the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province’s police watch dog, nearly a year-and-a-half to decide not to press charges against the officer involved.
READ MORE: ASIRT investigation clears Calgary officer who shot and killed Anthony Heffernan
“We have no voice for my brother – he’s dead,” Heffernan said. “And if we would have had video we could have at least seen what happened.”
But members of the public aren’t the only ones pushing for the technology.
“Our officers want them too,” Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin said. “Arguably, at the end of the day, we were one of the first. By misfortune, the product didn’t work. But it’s not as simple as going to Home Depot and going to buy them.”
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