The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is postponing the end of its body camera pilot project for almost a year to test new procedures, while police unions are instead demanding quick access to them.
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“Every week, we find ourselves with interventions that are questioned [pour lesquelles cet outil] could bring many answers. Of course we are disappointed, we would have liked a faster deployment, ”says François Lemay, president of the Federation of municipal police officers of Quebec (FPMQ).
The SQ pilot project, which began in March 2021, was originally scheduled to end in June this year.
However, it will be extended until April 2023, in Val-D’Or, to test new procedures for triggering the devices and to extend their use to all patrollers in the sector.
Part of the final report will be submitted next fall, as planned, but another must be submitted the following spring, explains Benoît Richard, spokesperson for the provincial police force.
An obligation ?
The relevance of this kind of tool was particularly raised when numerous muscular arrests in Quebec surfaced on social networks last November.
The president of the Brotherhood of police officers of the City of Quebec, Martine Fortier, had then underlined “the urgency” to act to equip the officers with body cameras, to be witnesses on both sides of the coin.
“We can’t wait to see the conclusions of the report. [Grâce aux caméras] we will finally be able to see what led to the physical intervention, ”she reiterated on Friday.
For Mr. Lemay, it is imperative that the Ministry of Public Security oblige all police forces in the province to equip themselves with these devices, when the pilot project is completed. “We must also provide funding for municipal services,” he adds.
For his part, the president of the Association of provincial police officers of Quebec (APPQ), Dominic Ricard, affirms that the pilot project is already having a positive effect in the interventions of its members in the field.
Not only happy
If this new tool is creating a certain enthusiasm among police organizations, it seems to be quite different among several citizens’ associations. There seems to be a certain mistrust regarding the use of captured images.
“One of the only studies that has been done on this has shown that images are used more to incriminate citizens than offending police officers,” says Maxime Fortin, of the Ligue des droits et libertés.
A position that is shared by the Coalition against repression and police abuse (CRAP).
“We are presented with this as a transparency technology, but what will be done with these images once shot? asks its spokesperson, Alexandre Popovic.
A process which stretches
March 2021: Launch of the pilot project
June 2022 : Initially planned end
April 2023: New postponement
Fall 2022: Initial submission of the final report
Fall 2022 and Spring 2023: New deadline for submitting the final report
Municipalities involved
- Rimouski: finished
- Salaberry-de-Valleyfield: finished
- Drummondville: ends in a few weeks
- Val d’Or: will end in April 2023
Source: Sûreté du Québec