Sault police to don body cameras

Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officers could be equipped with body cameras beginning in 2014.

The cost for the body cameras (30 of them, at $1,000 each) was one of several items approved, at the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Board level, for the 2014 Sault Ste. Marie Police Service operating budget, at the Board’s meeting Thursday.

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service 2014 budget is subject to approval by Sault Ste. Marie City Council during its own 2014 budget deliberations.

The hi-tech body camera devices, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Chief Bob Davies (pictured) told the Board, could provide clear evidence in the investigation of several types of offences, ranging from roadside incidents to domestic incidents.

“This is a great solution in helping our police officers to record evidence,” Chief Davies said.

Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Constable Henry Jin played a video for the Board Thursday, showing how the body cameras could be used in gathering evidence in a variety of offences.

Regarding domestic incidents, for example, Chief Davies told reporters: “We can make sure we get all the evidence up front, because there’s a tendency to recant, or minimize evidence, when we get to court six to 12 months later, so it’s very important we get a video statement.”

Constable Jin is working on details of the body camera program, including when the body cameras would be used and how long the video evidence gleaned from them can be kept.

Currently, Sault Police use video when suspects are booked at the Second Line East station (and stored for six months), but not while on patrol.

Chief Davies told reporters the body camera evidence could also prove to be useful when complaints are raised by the public regarding police conduct.

The Board approved an operating budget of $25,070,540, an increase of 0.5 percent, or $114,350 over the 2013 budget.

The Board also approved $374,000 in what Chief Davies listed as necessary capital projects.

The $30,000 expenditure for 30 body cameras is included in that amount, along with $15,000 for Tasers ($1,000 each), and $58,500 for a Disaster Recovery System.

Regarding a Disaster Recovery System, Chief Davies told the Board: “All of our information has no backup.”

“If everything crashed in a disaster, we’d have nothing.”

“We need an off-site back up system,” Davies told the Board. 

More on the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service need for more Tasers would be provided to the Board at its November meeting, Chief Davies said.