Body camera report: How are police in Regina held accountable right now?

A report heading to the Regina Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday is giving an overview of current police accountability and oversight measures in Regina.

The accountability and oversight report was spurred by a previous discussion by the board on the possible deployment of body worn cameras for members of the Regina Police Service (RPS).

“It is a fundamental principal of a democratic society that the police should be held to account for their actions,” the report reads.

It goes on to say video surveillance in detention, police buildings and police vehicles are used to monitor public interactions. There are also additional oversight steps for use of force and high risk events like vehicle pursuits.

CAMERAS IN USE

The report said there are currently in-car cameras installed in 87 police vehicles, including all canine, traffic and patrol vehicles. The system is activated when the emergency lights are turned on, the rear door is opened, or can be started manually. They capture audio from inside the vehicle and through the windshield.

Another 67 cameras are present in the detention area, along with others recording activity inside and outside police headquarters.

USE OF FORCE

Every use of force incident starts with an investigative package being prepared by a supervisor and forwarded to what’s called the Use of Force Review Board. The board is made up of seven RPS members and one Regina Police Association (RPA) observer. It’s chaired by an Inspector.

“The Use of Force Board members have a level of expertise in a variety of these force option fields,” the report reads. “The package provided to the Board may include occurrence reports, memorandums from all involved members, internal forms, printouts, and video.”

A similar board and process exists for vehicle pursuits, made up of six RPS members and one observer from the RPA and chaired by an Inspector.

PUBLIC CONCERNS, COMPLAINTS AND INTERNAL MISCONDUCT

The Professional Standards Section is run by a Staff Sergeant and two additional Sergeants who respond to “all public concerns, complaints and matters of internal misconduct.”

In striving to build confidence and trust within our community, the mandate of the Professional Standards Section is to promote ethical and professional behaviour in all employees of the Regina Police Service and to thoroughly investigate incidents where employee misconduct is alleged,” the report reads.

In addition to the internal oversight outlined in the report, it also covers external oversight for RPS: the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission, the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), the Saskatchewan Police Commission and Ministry of Justice independent oversight.

BODY CAMERAS: ARE THEY NECESSARY?

In November 2021, the Board of Police Commissioners received a report that stated deploying body cameras for RPS officers would cost between $621,000 and $1.2 million for the initial equipment, storage and warranty.

“We're ultimately deciding our spending tax payers dollars and at a time where budgets are heavily scrutinized," said Evan Bray, Chief of the Regina Police Service. "We need to make sure we're making a decision thats in the best interest of our city.”

Additional costs are expected due to training, administration of the program as well as resources to view and redact footage. Bray maintains the program should follow a targeted approach.

“It doesn't have to be we're rolling out 430 body cameras to every police officer,” said Bray. “Maybe we focus on some of the areas where there is more high risk interactions.”

A further cost analysis estimated the body camera program would cost almost $1.3 million annually to operate.

“With this investigative tool also comes a high price tag, request for more resources, changes to process, and impacts to organizations beyond only police services,” the report said.

“However, evidence gathering, improved employee mental wellness, robust internal and external investigations, increased trust, transparency and accountability are identified as benefits of a [body worn camera] program.”

Body worn cameras were recommended for use to RPS months earlier as part of an inquest into the police shooting death of Geoff Morris in August 2021.

“Police services that have trialed body-worn cameras across Canada have seen significant budget increases,” Chief Evan Bray said at the time.

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) launched its own body camera program in March. In a statement to CTV News, the SPS said it has been successful in deploying 40 cameras to officers in patrol, traffic, foot patrol, bike and community units.

A community satisfaction survey by Saskatoon police outlined that 98 per cent of respondents were in favour of the cameras.

Even with the success of the project in Saskatoon, Mayor Sandra Masters noted the two cities face different challenges.

“We know that our patrol officers have some of the highest caseloads in the country and so its hard to justify four to six million on body cams when were still under resourced from a personnel perspective,” said Masters.

The oversight and accountability report went to the Regina Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday morning.