Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Nogier said there is no timeframe on implementing body-worn cameras. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

By paNOW

Funding technology

“It would be difficult”: Police chief says body-worn cameras not in near future

Apr 4, 2025 | 5:02 PM

By the end of the week, more RCMP officers in Saskatchewan will be wearing body-worn cameras while on patrol, but it’s unlikely municipal police officers in Prince Albert will be wearing them any time soon.

Police Chief Patrick Nogier said the technology is a topic of conversation for the police service but budgetary requirements are beyond what’s feasible for the city right now.

“It’s not so much the actual hardware that is expensive, it’s the backend – where you keep the video,” said Nogier. “And what people don’t really know is when it comes to redacting video footage, whether it be for an access to information request or for court purposes, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes.”

The fleet of police cruisers in Prince Albert are equipped with in-car camera systems which record interactions, but their use is limited to the vehicles.

Every police cruiser in Prince Albert is equipped with an in-car camera system. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

crime

Armed teen responsible for Churchill lockdown

8h ago

LOCAL TALENT

From Unity to Namibia: Small-town archer set to represent Canada at AGA World Tournament

8h ago

Armed robbery

Three men charged following armed robbery in North Battleford

9h ago

While the budget isn’t there, Nogier said the police service would be remiss if they didn’t at least start exploring the options of body-worn cameras in Prince Albert because they can help make the police service more accountable and efficient. When polled, Nogier said the majority of police members said they would support the use of the technology.

“As a Chief of Police, I think that really resonates with me because with the notion that they’re trying to hide the things they’re doing in the public which we know can be caught on video, they’re confident in what they’ve been doing out there and they’ve been following proper policy and protocols.”

The Prince Albert Grand Council has been critical of the police service in the past. Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said he is ‘absolutely in favour’ of police body-worn cameras on both municipal and federal officers.

“That’s absolutely to increase transparency and accountability and that will certainly do that, and I think that it will also gain public trust and serve as evidence for investigations,” said Hardlotte. “I think it’s a good thing. It’s a must, I say. Something has to be there.”

He believes the body-worn cameras will enhance safety on both sides – the police and the people they are serving in the community.

Soon all RCMP officers in Saskatchewan will have body-worn cameras. (Submitted photo/RCMP)

The cameras issued to RCMP officers in Melfort this week are part of a national rollout by the Mounties to have all frontline officers equipped with the technology. When Saskatchewan detachments started receiving the cameras back in November of last year, Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP said the video evidence collected through them will provide an independent, unbiased and objective way to capture interactions between the public and 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,” Blackmore said in a press release last November. “Body-worn cameras are one more tool we can use as police officers in our daily duties and in being accountable to the public.”

The Prince Albert Police Service doesn’t have any fully integrated units with the RCMP, but they sometimes attend the same calls.

“If we were doing an investigation and became aware that there was body camera video footage taken by the RCMP that could assist our investigation, we would have to explore some potential arrangement with the RCMP or perhaps go through another legal channel to obtain that information as part of our investigation.”

As for when body-worn cameras may be in use in the Prince Albert Police Service, Nogier said it would be difficult to put a timeline on.

—

panews@pattisonmedia.com