RCMP body-cams could soon be in use in Neepawa Book bargains making a return to Neepawa

By Eoin Devereux Neepawa Banner & Press

Spruce Plains RCMP will likely have a new piece of technology at their disposal in the very near future. In a presentation to Neepawa Town Council on Tuesday, Mar. 7, staff sergeant Colby Argue provided an update on the national implementation of wearable body cameras.

Sgt Argue noted that this initiative has recently committed to a contract with Motorola, who will supply around 15,000 cameras to detachments across Canada.

He also stated that local municipalities will have to bear 70 per cent of the expense, with Ottawa covering 30 per cent. With a total cost for approximately $3,000 per year per camera. Neepawa and surrounding rural participants would be committed to paying around $2,100 for the equipment and management of data. The coverage of those costs would start in April 2024.

As well, Argue stated the cameras will increase the detachment’s work load, as an officer or clerk will have to vet the information within the footage after it is downloaded.

For example, licence plates of vehicles passing by the scene of an incident would have to be manually scrubbed out of the footage in order to protect privacy.

An exact start date for the local roll out is not known, though on a national level, most detachments are expected to start wearing body cameras as early as this fall.