Body-worn video (BWV) cameras were mandated by the Government of Alberta in March 2023 for all police agencies in Alberta. Edmonton Police Service (EPS) initiated a proof of concept for BWV with a select group of officers in July 2023 to assess the operational impacts. EPS is now moving towards service-wide implementation of the cameras, meaning the public will start to notice more officers will be wearing a BWV camera.
Starting in September 2024 and over the course of the next several months, rollout will include the following areas:
- Public Safety Unit
- Northeast Division
- West Division
- Southwest Division
- Whyte Avenue Beats
- Gang Suppression Team (GST)
- Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit (CVIU)
- Traffic Enforcement Section (TES)
Body Worn Videos are expected to be deployed to the rest of the service in Spring 2025. The order in which other areas will receive body worn cameras is yet to be determined.
What will the public notice?
Police officers will be carrying a camera approximately the size of a pack of cards on the front of their uniform. The officers activate recording with audio and video during interactions with the public when the nature of the interaction is known to be, or become, investigative or enforcement related in nature.
When the cameras are actively recording, the officers body worn camera will illuminate red lights.
Privacy concerns
Section 33C and 33B of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act authorizes the collection of information from the public. The recordings are disclosed to the courts when required, but private information of third parties captured in any recording is first redacted.
Legally, officers are not required to inform the public they are being recorded during an interaction, but they are trained to do so when they can.
Effectiveness of the cameras
The goals of using BWV cameras include:
- Protect police officers from unfounded allegations of misconduct and increase the efficiency and transparency in how complaints against the police are concluded.
- Aid in de-escalating the behavior of individuals who are aware that recording is in progress.
- Improve evidence collection, documentation, early case resolution and successful prosecutions.
- Enhance transparency, public trust, confidence, officer accountability and professionalism.
For more information on BWV cameras, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page.