Late last month, the St. Thomas Police Service signed an agreement with Axon for the provision of body cameras, Tasers and a digital evidence management system. The 10-year deal is worth approximately $1 million and follows a four-month pilot project with a dozen cameras. Retired inspector Hank Zehr said public response to the cameras has been positive.
Under the agreement, noted Chief Chris Herridge, “equipment will be refreshed throughout the life of the agreement.
“For example, if a Taser 8 is released, and it will be, we will receive the new hardware in Year 6 of the agreement. The BWCs are refreshed four times.”
The images obtained while on duty can be used as evidence in court and also for internal police investigations and those undertaken by the Special Investigations Unit, the province’s police watchdog. Insp. Scott Barnes explains the importance of this video evidence.
He adds, “If we have done our job, it will be obvious.”
Chief Herridge says not only will the cameras help in criminal cases, the police service is working with the CMHA to determine how body cameras can be employed when officers are having a mental health interaction.
He continues, “And that may expedite the person being formed and getting them the support they need. It would be nice at some point if we could live stream from a body camera to a psychiatrist and that person could say let’s go with Plan B and instead of going to the emergency department and apprehending that person, maybe there is another support mechanism we could attend and get that person the support they need.”
Herridge concludes, as the technology advances with body-worn cameras and digital evidence management it’s going to make police work much more efficient and enhance community well-being.
