Ottawa police, defence lawyers support body cameras for officers

It's rare you find police and defence lawyers on the same side but they've united in a call to equip cops in Ottawa with personal body cameras.

The proposal came initially from the Ottawa Police Association as a way to help gather evidence and protect officers from frivolous lawsuits. But it's now backed by the Defence Council Association of Ottawa as a way to document potential abuse.

"The most powerful piece of evidence in the Stacy Bonds case was the complete video record of what happened," Matthew Weber, Bonds's lawyer, told CBC News.

In a case that made national headlines, a video camera covering a police cellblock recorded Bonds' treatment during a 2008 arrest. She was kneed several times, pinned to the floor and had her clothes cut off. An officer has been charged with sexual assault.

With cameras, "we don't have to debate what happened or what was said to the accused. We know, and thus fairness is inevitable," said Weber.

The Ottawa Police Association has said a camera around the ear or attached to a radio on the chest could help police gather crucial evidence.

"Judicially, we have become so much under attack that I think it's important to have our side explained," said association president Matthew Skof.

Weber said police could start with cameras covering the inside of their cars.

"If you had a full record of the accused in the back of the cruiser who just blurted something out, there would be nothing to litigate," he said. "It enables us to ensure that our client is being tried … on an accurate record."

But Skof told the Ottawa Citizen cameras would also cut down on attacks against officers in what he called a "hostile" judicial system.

"Ultimately, if we had balance and common sense in our judicial environment then my members could operate without their intent being questioned," Skof said.

Body cameras have been used in the United States, Britain and Australia.

Police in Sussex, England, introduced body-worn cameras three years ago and now have 94 in use, reports the Crawley and Horley Observer.

"Officers are realizing the importance of having these cameras out with them when they are patrolling the streets of Sussex," said Chief Inspector Julia Pope.

"And, it goes without saying, they are an essential piece of evidence gathering equipment when officers are called to domestic abuse incidents. We currently have a case where the victim did not want to press charges against her partner but when the Crown Prosecution Service was presented with the images that greeted the officers when they arrived at the scene, they decided to go ahead and press charges."

Metro Ottawa commentator Steve Collins argued the proposed body cameras are no panacea.

"Among the main reasons offered is that having footage of everyone the police interact with would cut down on frivolous lawsuits over police conduct," he wrote in Monday. "The safety of the general public, who would be paying for this stepped-up video surveillance of themselves, seemed an afterthought at best."

The shear cost of equipping every officer with an $1,800 body camera aside, the cost of reviewing and archiving all the footage could be huge.

"A single officer's typical 10-hour patrol, for example, could result in seven hours or so of video, which might have to be stored for up to 25 years," Collins wrote.

"It's easy to see how the costs could pile up before you even start to consider the privacy of crime victims caught on video or how to handle freedom-of-information requests for footage."

Edmonton police are experimenting with body cameras, while police in Victoria tried them in a 2009 experiment that the B.C. Civil Liberties Association challenged as an invasion of privacy. The proposal was dropped due to cost.