Beginning this month, the Saskatchewan RCMP will start the roll out of body-worn cameras throughout their jurisdiction in the province. Staring November 19, 2024, RCMP police officers in Fort Qu'appelle Detachment will begin using body-worn cameras, followed by roll outs over the next four weeks at RCMP detachments in the communities of Black Lake, Fond du Lac, Pelican Narrows, Onion Lake and Punnichy. The roll out to all remaining RCMP Detachments will take place in a phased approach over the next 8-12 months.
Body-worn cameras are part of the RCMP's ongoing efforts to be transparent and accountable to the communities we serve. The video evidence collected on body-worn cameras will provide an independent, unbiased and objective way to capture interactions between the public and police officers.
The cameras will be worn by front line uniformed RCMP officers who will only activate their camera while in the lawful execution of their duties. An example of this is when contact is initiated with a member of the public for the purpose of a police investigation or to record police statements that would normally be taken out in the field as part of their duties. In situations where there are concerns for police or public safety, or the video has investigational value, RCMP policy requires police officers to keep their body-worn camera on and recording.
The use of these cameras will be complemented by a digital evidence management system that will be used to store and manage body-worn video. Body-worn cameras and the digital evidence management system will become the new national standard for general duty RCMP police officers.
"As we continue to modernize as Saskatchewan's provincial police service, body-worn cameras will have a role in our ongoing trust-building with the communities and people we serve," shares Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP. "Body-worn cameras are one more tool we can use as police officers in our daily duties and in being accountable to the public."
For more information on the RCMP's launch of body-worn cameras including top questions asked and policy information, visit our public webpage: https://rcmp.ca/en/body-worn-cameras