Report on body-worn cameras complete

By Courtney Bachar/The Oshawa Express/LJI Reporter

Durham residents want police to wear cameras, says a recent study.

The report on the Body-Worn Camera (BWC) pilot project is complete and studies show they’re wanted in Durham.

Joseph Maiorano, superintendent of patrol operations and BWC project executive sponsor, presented the report to the Durham Regional Police Services (DRPS) board recently, noting the project mission was to “determine if the deployment of body-worn cameras to frontline members of the Durham Regional Police Service provides value to our internal colleagues, partner agencies and the community.”

The BWC pilot project began in 2014 when DRPS began studying body worn camera technology and its use to support service delivery, community safety and community relations. The BWC team began its feasibility study in 2015, followed by pilot approval in 2017.

DRPS went both national and international with its study on body-worn cameras, looking at 123 law enforcement agencies within Canada, as well as programs in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

Of the 123 Canadian agencies, which were contacted in fall of 2019, at the time, 5.7 per cent were using body-worn cameras, 6.5 per cent were piloting or piloted, and 5.7 per cent were considering its use.

In regards to DRPS’ comparators, Toronto and Peel, Maiorano noted Toronto has completed its pilot and is now embarking on a full deployment, and the Peel Regional Police Board recently approved the full deployment of body-worn cameras.

The DRPS BWC Pilot Project took place from June 2018 to 2019 and consisted of approximately 80 BWC users from West Division in Ajax in the regional traffic enforcement unit and the 2018 festive RIDE team.

According to Maiorano, the RIDE study was significant to the analysis, noting in general, the study showed people felt police with cameras were more polite, treated them more fairly, had a higher opinion of Durham Regional Police performance in general, had a higher confidence in police overall, and an overall strong support for police use of body-worn cameras.

A community survey was also conducted in 2017 as part of the pilot, which found about 90 per cent of respondents have confidence in police in Durham Region; 75 to 90 per cent of people believe body-worn cameras will increase police accountability; 80 to 90 per cent of people believe cameras will provide police with better evidence; and 80 per cent of people support body-worn cameras in Durham Region.

In terms of officers’ perception of experiences, measured through surveys and interviews, Maiorano says some of the concerns noted included increased workload, negative impact on morale, control over access of video, use of body-worn cameras for discipline, the negative impact on an officer’s use of discretion, and cost – spending money on body-worn cameras instead of staffing – noting officers felt staffing should be the priority.

Officers also shared the positive benefits of body-worn cameras, including quality of evidence, accountability, and risk management. Some officers noted they felt the cameras protected them as well.

“We see from the work that body-worn cameras provide opportunities that reflect in the accuracy and quality of evidence, proof, transparency and trust, enhanced accountability, and improved service effectiveness,” says Maiorano.

However, Maiorano says after six years of work, research, surveys, and independent studies, at least for the short to medium term, body-worn cameras will not be “cost neutral” for DRPS.

According to the report, using the current model, recurring project costs of the BWC program would be $3.81 million annually for 600 BWC users and 40 administrative licenses, program and video management and staffing, as well as a one-time implementation cost of approximately $500,000 for program start-up and training.

The pilot deployment budget was $1.215 million in new program costs – two of the most significant costs being the anticipated increase in frontline workload, accounted for through an increase in overtime, and the requirement to create space for video management.

“Body-worn cameras as an investment can be an enabler of change, allowing us to use technology to support community safety and community relation efforts. And the broad range of potential benefits including the opportunity to develop relationships with the community that will provide enhanced trust, transparency and legitimacy. If in fact this is what the community demands of us, body-worn cameras can be a tool to assist in that regard,” says Maiorano.

However, he says there are also some uncertainties regarding the limited objective measurable data, and the multiple substantive benefits this can provide to DRPS.

Furthermore, he notes there is currently no capacity in the DRPS budget, and, similar to the pilot, this project would be in addition to the base budget.

The board received the report for information and will now review the findings in detail to determine the next steps in conjunction with the region’s finance department and Durham Regional Council.