The Axon Body 3 body camera, which members of the Saint John Police Force will be outfitted with. (Photo: Saint John Police Force/Submitted)
All front-line police officers in Saint John will start to wear body cameras later this year.
The Saint John Police Force unveiled the new technology for its members on Tuesday.
Jim Hennessy, communications manager, said the force has been looking into body cameras for a couple of years.
“Front-line officers will undergo some training of the new technology just to get used to it. It’s not large, it’s not going to be cumbersome to some of the equipment that they already utilize on a day-to-day basis,” said Hennessy.
The Axon Body 3 cameras are designed to activate automatically when an officer is sent to a call, he said, eliminating the need for officers to turn them on.
Hennessy said he understands there are some privacy concerns about what will happen to the video once it has been recorded.
“The footage captured by officers on duty will only be utilized during an investigation. The follow-up may be of a concern by the public or sharing information with a citizen who interacted with an officer and has any follow-up questions,” he said.
News of the body cameras comes amid growing calls for police forces across the country to become more transparent.
Hennessy said the technology will help the Saint John Police Force do just that.
“We’re there for the citizens, we’re there to make sure that they’re safe and certainly we’re there to make sure that we’re being as transparent as we can with them, as well,” he said.
Saint John’s police chief echoed Hennessy’s comments in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
“I am confident that body cameras will add another layer to improving public and officer safety, increasing transparency and further enhancing the forces investigative abilities,” said Chief Stephan Drolet.
In addition to body cameras, the police station’s interview rooms will also be outfitted with the new technology. Saint John police will also acquire software from Axon which will allow officers to provide a web link for residents to upload photo and video evidence of a crime.
Hennessy said the cameras and software will cost $770,000, which will be incorporated into the force’s budget over the next five years.
The force hopes to deploy the cameras in early November.
Saint John Police Force Purchasing Body Cameras https://t.co/E7OkICfpbd
— Saint John Police (@saintjohnpolice) July 21, 2020
Follow
