Why body-worn cameras, and why now?
“Is it because everybody is doing it or do we actually have an objective in terms of looking at accountability, transparency and evidence collection?” This was the query of Niagara Regional Police Services Board Vice Chair Nyarayi Kapisavanhu asked during the January meeting of the board.
“The answer to your question is the former of the two,” Niagara Police Chief Bill Fordy replied. “It's not because everybody's looking at it. The principal reason is for the trust and legitimacy in policing. Also, the potential benefits that can be realized by having access to video footage, to enhance our training and enhance our ability to provide meaningful evidence. But, you are correct. We are late adopters to the technology.”
Despite being a “late adopter”, the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) is now moving ahead with public consultation regarding the implementation and deployment of body-worn cameras (BWCs).
At its January meeting, the Niagara Regional Police Services Board, after receiving a presentation from staff, unanimously approved a plan related to the future use of BWCs.
The first step will be a consultation process involving both the public and members of NRPS to “refine implementation strategies and learn from community sentiments” regarding BWCs. Subject to Board approval after the consultation process, staff would then develop “robust policies addressing privacy, operational protocols and data management”, followed by a roll out strategy.
According to a staff report, the NRPS first considered the use of BWCs in 2015, but concluded it was “premature”. A year later, the position of the NRPS had not changed, as there was still concern related to the “challenges of technology”. The NRPS did commit to monitor the pilot project that the Toronto Police Service (TPS) had committed to at the time.
In August 2020, the Board of the TPS approved the implementation of BWCs for all officers, with cameras embedded in all parts of frontline policing. That same month, then NRPS chief Bryan McCullough appeared before St. Catharines City Council, in response to a motion from the City’s Anti-Racism Advisory Committee recommending the NRPS implement body cameras for all front-line officers, as soon as possible.
In the years between the 2016 Board report and the St. Catharines deputation, the issue of BWCs was raised a number of times as other police forces across the GTA began to consider or implement BWC projects of their own. Board members in 2018 took a trip to Cincinnati to view a police data storage building and, according to then board chair Ken Gansel, a capital budget line item for BWCs was identified that year but was not brought forward for approval.
At the 2020 St. Catharines Council meeting, in response to a question on jurisdiction from then Councillor Karrie Porter, the NRPS Chief admitted that implementing BWCs was something that could be done locally but his preference was that “something of this importance should be coming from the Ministry (Solicitor General’s Office), so there is a unified approach.” Chief McCullough also posited that he was unsure of the need for BWCs in the Niagara Region as there had not been a growing number of complaints against Police officers. Increased accountability for frontline officers is only one rationale for the cameras.
It is clear that the current champion for the implementation of BWCs at the NRPS is Chief Fordy, who became Chief after McCullough’s retirement in 2024. The related staff report confirmed that the BWC initiative has been prioritized by the Chief.
At the Board’s October 31, 2024 meeting that dealt with the proposed 2025 budget, Chief Fordy responded to Police Board Member and Regional Councillor (St. Catharines) Laura Ip on the issue of BWCs, which were not being proposed for the budget. Fordy stated that his belief was that BWCs allow for “complete transparency”, and that based on his experience as a criminal investigator, “the use of video is a tremendous tool for training and to identify ways to enhance how we were doing police work.”
In addition to the Chief’s support, other changes have occurred since 2020 that have hinted BWCs would soon be coming to the NRPS. The majority of the “Big 12” police forces in Ontario have implemented BWCs (Toronto, Durham, Peel, Waterloo Region) or are deploying them in 2025 (Hamilton, Windsor, Greater Sudbury). Of the remainder, Halton has an on-going pilot project, Ottawa has plans for a pilot in 2026 and London recently received budget approval to proceed. Only York Region, other than Niagara, has neither approved BWCs or introduced a pilot project.
Hector Perez, Corporate Analyst for the NRPS, told the Board “critical advancements” over the last decade have made BWCs more viable. The technology is more affordable and reliable; data storage is no longer an issue, due to advancements in cloud storage; and the battery life of the cameras can now last a 13-hour work shift, he said.
The NRPS has had recent success in implementing technology and “other modernization projects”, Perez said.
The staff report noted an extensive amount of academic research and reports on BWCs have been completed, summarizing the pros and cons of the technology.
“Some benefits of BWCs include enhancements to transparency and accountability, reduction in use of force and complaints against police, and a strong evidentiary value. Some challenges are related to privacy concerns, officer and organizational resistance to change and operational and technical issues.”
As more police services have adopted BWCs, the internal resistance seems to have dissipated. After the TPS instituted its BWCs pilot project, the service reported that of the 85 officers involved in the pilot, 85 percent of them endorsed the use of the cameras.
The Niagara Regional Police Association (NRPA), the union representing over 1,000 uniform and civilian members employed by the NRPS, is supportive of the push for BWCs.
“The NRPA has always welcomed the implementation of BWCs,” retiring NRPA President Pat McGilly told The Pointer. He said the cameras can help police officers by offering the public a window into the work done on the frontlines.
The NRPA has always welcomed the implementation of BWCs
While serving as an asset for evidence gathering, BWCs can also assist officers by reducing the number of angry confrontations with members of the public, who may act differently knowing they are being recorded.
A weakness of BWCs is that they may create unrealistic community expectations when it comes to addressing systemic issues. The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) expressed such concerns as part of their consultation with the TPS during the pilot project in 2020.
“The OHRC is aware of vocal concerns from Black and other racialized communities about the efficacy and funding required for body-worn cameras. The OHRC has heard directly from Black communities that these cameras will not prevent the deaths of Black people at the hands of the police, and that more meaningful action is necessary.”
This will be of particular concern for Black communities in Niagara as data show NRPS officers use harm disproportionately against them compared to others in the region. In 2023, 16 percent of use of force incidents reported by the NRPS involved a member of the Black community in Niagara, despite this demographic representing only 2.8 percent of the region’s overall population (according to Statistics Canada census data from 2021).
Inspector Paul Koscinski, the head of NRPS’s diversity, equity and inclusion unit, previously told The Pointer, “It’s an important issue we have to address.”
“It really starts from the top down so that we’re trying to enhance our culture of how we respond to the needs of our different communities and try to be more culturally aware and competent,” Inspector Koscinski said. ““It’s something that we take very seriously, and there’s lots of work to be done and we're not going to shy away from that work.”
The OHRC advocated for clear policies and procedures governing the use of BWCs to ensure they are applied in a way that is consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code and Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that everyone is equal “before and under the law”.
At the October budget meeting, Councillor Ip, who seemed generally supportive of BWCs, asked the Chief to comment on the arguments against BWCs, such as that they do not have the intended outcome for racialized communities.
“I would like to think that as an institution, as a province and as a country, that we be we would be alive or sensitive to some of those emerging issues and try to come up with a process that enhances transparency, enhances how we do our job and enhances trust and confidence in the profession of policing,” Chief Fordy replied.
Many advocacy groups in Niagara have been actively calling for BWCs, like the City of St. Catharines Anti-Racism Advisory Committee and the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA).
The NRARA said the launch of the BWC process by NRPS was “long overdue”.
“NRARA points out this discredits the Police’s past excuse that they need a provincial mandate, when almost all major Ontario police forces are implementing them without one and now Niagara is too, as one of the last,” the statement reads.
At the October meeting, Councillor Ip also raised the argument that recording sensitive interactions may infringe on individual privacy and those victims could be “re-victimized” if the footage is made public.
The Chief suggested that related policies will have to be very prescriptive, which was reiterated in the staff report.
“Robust privacy policies and clear communication with the public are essential” to mitigate privacy concerns. Staff have committed to developing a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) as part of the implementation process.
Robust privacy policies and clear communication with the public are essential
The Information and Privacy Commission of Ontario (IPC) describes a PIA as a risk management tool that identifies the actual or potential effects that the technology or program may have on an individual’s privacy. With regard to BWCs, such an assessment is viewed as a best practice in assisting police services in identifying their privacy-related obligations. A PIA will address records retention, access and disclosure considerations, while ensuring that the organization’s use of the technology is proportionate to the need.
The related staff report links to the IPC’s Model Governance Framework for Police Body-worn Camera Programs in Ontario document and indicates that the NRPS “will gather insights from the public on privacy concerns as part of the consultation process”.
Consultations will involve a “two to three month” phase that would primarily consist of on-line surveys. There was also indication that there would be community outreach, with the Board’s Vice Chair, Kapisavanhu, stressing that such outreach should be “as inclusive as possible.” The Vice Chair called for in-person town halls, which staff indicated would be undertaken.
After the public consultation process, staff will report back to the Board on the results. Although the report contemplates a possible phased roll out, Chief Fordy stressed a pilot project may not be necessary.
“We are late adopters and pilot projects have been undertaken by police services in both Canada and the United States,” he said. “It might come to fruition that after the community consultation, the board directs us to create a policy and training program, whereby we implement the program in our service.”
While the NRPS Board seems in favour of the implementation of BWCs, the ultimate decision may rest with Niagara Region Council’s approval of the 2026 NRPS budget.
The staff report indicates that the expectation is the NRPS will have to add seven staff members for the implementation of the program, consisting of five DEMS (Digital Evidence Management) Clerks, who would be tasked with ensuring that privacy protocols are met, one Equipment Hardware Technician and a Sergeant. The related salary costs for the additional staff are estimated at $814,000.
Additional costs would include a one-time upfront capital expenditure of $950,000 for the hardware, which would consist of 550 BWCs, along with software and licensing costs of $1.47 million. The total annual costs of $2.3 million would equate to a one percent increase in operating costs, though additional staffing would be phased in during 2026, with the full budget impact starting in 2027.
Despite the additional cost, staff were hopeful that savings could be realized in other areas with the implementation of BWCs. One of the academic articles cited in the staff report, The staff report notes “potential savings from reduced litigation and complaints offer long-term offsets,” could be realized, citing an academic study completed on BWCs.
Dean Iorfida is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at The Pointer.