Banff bylaw officers plan to wear a small camera to record interactions and encounters with members of the public in what is becoming an increasingly common practice in law enforcement in North America.
On Tuesday (Oct. 11), Banff’s finance and governance committee – made up entirely of mayor and council – considered a draft policy on the use of both the body-worn cameras and the images they capture.
Officials say the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) in bylaw enforcement is relatively new, but more bylaw agencies in Alberta are using both dash-mount cameras and BWCs as a part of their standard daily-use equipment.
They say cameras will be of use to Banff’s peace officers during the course of many everyday duties, such as responding to noise complaints and aggressive animal issues, or speeding, distracted driving, stop sign or seatbelt infractions – even dealing with illegal campers in remote areas of town where officer safety could be at risk.
0“The primary purpose of using BWCs is to capture evidence arising from officer-citizen encounters,” said Tony Clark, Banff’s bylaw supervisor, in a report to the finance committee.
“These cameras allow officers to collect superior evidence and provide them with an added element of safety.”
While the technology allows for the collection of information, it opens up many questions about how to balance demands for accountability and transparency with privacy concerns of those being recorded.
Banff administration has submitted a privacy impact assessment to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Alberta to ensure the municipality has identified the privacy issues and risks associated with use of the cameras and appropriate measures to mitigate these risks.
The proposed policy has also been submitted to the Solicitor General of Alberta.
Under the draft policy, officers will be required to advize individuals when it is “safe and practicable to do so” that their interaction with officers is being video and audio recorded. There will not be continuous recording, just recording of the actual event or incident.
As for bystanders, the policy states officers will be instructed to take all reasonable steps to avoid recording members of the public not subject to a bylaw enforcement investigation.
The draft policy is expected back for final approval at council’s next meeting.
Mayor Karen Sorensen said she supports the use of the cameras by Banff’s bylaw department.
“I see it as a good tool for bylaw officers to have … to provide proof of what happened in each individual incident. I think it is a great safety measure for bylaw and for the public,” she said.
“I am pleased with the amount of work that’s been done to ensure that we’re going down this road in the appropriate fashion.”
