Over the next eight-to-ten weeks, 60 RCMP officers throughout Nova Scotia will be field testing body-worn cameras and a new digital evidence management system.
Starting May 15, body-worn cameras will be used by officers working out of the following detachments and offices:
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Chester (Traffic Services)
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Digby
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New Minas (Traffic Services)
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North Sydney (Traffic Services)
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Pictou
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Stellarton
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Yarmouth Rural (Traffic Services)
"Body-worn cameras are being adopted by police agencies across Canada to support public calls for greater police transparency and accountability," says Chief Superintendent Sue Black, Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations for the Nova Scotia RCMP. "We hope their use will improve public insights into police conduct and performance, and in turn build trust between us and the communities we serve."
Field tests are also happening in Alberta and Nunavut during the same eight-to-ten-week period.
Should the field tests meet operational requirements, body-worn cameras will be distributed to RCMP detachments across the country; national roll-out would proceed in a phased approach, and would take 12-to-18 months.
"The use of body-worn cameras, and a digital evidence management system, will soon become the standard for general duty frontline RCMP officers across the country," says C./Supt. Black. "The Nova Scotia RCMP is pleased to play a part in ensuring the initiative is a success by participating in the field test process."