Front-line officers with Saint John Police Force (SJPF) will be introducing body cameras to their uniforms, beginning this fall.
In a news release, police said the cameras are Axon Body 3 cameras, manufactured by Axon Enterprise of Scottsdale, Arizona. The company is also slated to update SJPF’s interview room software.
The release said SJPF will also acquire Axon Citizen software, which allows officers to provide a web link to residents to upload photo and video evidence of potential crimes.
“At this time, the goal is to have the body cameras operationally deployed the first week of November 2020 for all our front-line officers,” said Saint John Police Chief Steph Drolet in the release.
“I am confident that body cameras will add another layer to improving public and officer safety, increasing transparency and further enhancing the forces investigative abilities,” Drolet said.
According to the release, the cameras activate automatically when officers are dispatched to a call.
It also says officers will undergo training before the camera program begins.
“These new upgrades will create an environment which will facilitate the video evidence collection from curb side to court room,” Drolet said in the release.