Saint John police begin using body cameras after some delays

Some Saint John Police Force officers begin wearing body cameras this week.

The cameras, which record police interactions with the public for accountability and evidence purposes, will be fully deployed byJuly of this year, the force said in a news release.

In a presentation to the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday,Insp.Tanya LeBlancsaid the cameras were a response to increased requests for transparency from the public. They're also meant to strengthen the relationship between the public and police, and protect them both.

The $770,000body camera program was supposed to be fully implemented in Saint John by November 2020 but was delayed. In May 2021, board chair Ed Keyes saidthere were many reasons for the delay, including a usage policy that still had to be completed and approved.

All officers were scheduled togo through training program of six to eight weeks before the launch.

LeBlanc said the service provider will be Axon Public Safety Canada Inc., the same company used by the Fredericton police.

She said the police will have 62 units. The policy governing how and when they should be used has already been passed by the police board.

LeBlanc said the cameras are to be worn for the full shift by patrol members, and other members who interact with the public. The camera are set to switch on automatically in certain cases, such as when emergency sirens are turned on, she said.

Otherwise, it's up to individual officers to turn on their cameras when their services are requested.

She said there will be regular usage audits and reporting on usage and content.

The policy also has details about how and when to release content publicly, but no details were available.

The board also heard the program will require at least one full-time civilian member to manage the amount of data andtechnology and to make sure the policy is being followed.