Kingston Police board chair would like to see front line officers equipped with body-worn cameras

A motion is being presented at the board's monthly meeting this Thursday.

Front line Kingston Police officers could soon be outfitted with body-worn cameras.

A motion by Police Board Chair Greg Ridge is being presented at this Thursday's meeting at police headquarters.

The motion would call on Police Chief Adam MacIntosh to report back to the board at their November meeting on the implementation of such a program at Kingston Police.

The report would include:

• Proposed scope, implementation timeline, and work or commitments undertaken to date
• Initial and ongoing financial and staffing requirements, proposed funding sources and future budget implications
• Required Board policies, approvals and supporting Service procedures 
• Privacy, cybersecurity, records management and vendor safeguards
• Training, community consultation and public communication
• Compliance monitoring, audits, program evaluation and reporting to the Board and public
• How the proposed program would address the recommendations in the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s Model Governance Framework for Police Body-Worn Camera Programs in Ontario

Kingston is one a few police jurisdictions in Ontario that don't issue body-worn cameras to their officers.

Brockville and Belleville police services require their frontline officers to be equipped with body-worn cameras. Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police also have a similar policy while Ottawa Police Service are using body-worn cameras as part of a pilot project. 

Story by Ken Hashizume