Windsor's police chief is weighing in on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to pitch police body cameras to Canada's premiers this week.
Pam Mizuno says many police services, including Windsor, have looked at using body worn cameras, but they come with a significant cost and a lack of funding has always been a hurdle.
She says if the cameras became mandatory, help from upper levels of government would be needed.
"That's something that we have looked at in the past, but I think one of the things that we've heard most often is the cost. It's a significant financial investment," she says. "If this is something that the federal government or provincial government is looking at implementing we would expect that there would be some type of funding moving forward."
The idea of body worn cameras is being proposed as a way to address complaints that police treat racialized people unfairly.
It follows protests across the U.S. and Canada after the death of George Floyd, a black man, who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis held a knee to his neck for several minutes during an arrest on May 25.
Mizuno says cost versus benefit is a major factor.
"With any technology and with any initiative that the police service is going to embark on, I think, you always need to consider the benefit versus the cost. You certainly want the benefit to outweigh the cost. I think because of the considerable cost of body worn cameras it does require some evaluation," she says.
Mizuno says privacy concerns would have to be addressed through new legislation as well.
"There would be many considerations with respect to privacy if you were looking at moving towards body worn cameras. Of course, the number one reason for going that route is for public trust and confidence. Body worn cameras may increase perceptions of public trust and confidence, but there's all those other considerations," she says.
Officers in Amherstburg were using the body cameras, but Mizuno says that program was stopped after the merger with Windsor due to compatibility issues with the technology.
Windsor Police Association President, Jason DeJong, says his members are not opposed to wearing the cameras, but feels the amount of money that would be spent on them could be used more effectively in other areas.
— With files from Kristylee Varley