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Taser use will automatically activate body cameras worn by St. Thomas police

St. Thomas Police officers are now wearing technology that will automatically turn on a body worn camera when a conducted energy device, also known as a TASER, is deployed.

Wireless technology in a conducted energy device can now trigger body worn cameras

CBC News ·
All front line St. Thomas Police officers are equipped with a TASER 7 conducted energy device that, when deployed, will automatically activate all body worn cameras on officers in the area of an incident. (Helen Pike/CBC)

St. Thomas Police officers are now wearing technology that will automatically turn on a body-worn camera when a conducted energy device (CED), also known as a TASER, is deployed.

The TASER 7 is one of the latest developments in policing tools that the chief of the St. Thomas Police Service (STPS) hopes will protect citizens and officers during an incident, and improve accountability.

"The two devices literally talk to each other and can synchronize their activation," said STPS in an online Facebook post.

An officer holds a small camera.
Body-worn cameras are small and visible on officers' uniforms. (CBC)

Police Chief Chris Herridge said once the TASER 7 is deployed, not only do all of the cameras in the vicinity turn on, but they also record backup footage.

"So for example, if an officer approaches the scene where two individuals are fighting and the cameras are activated by deploying a TASER, the pre-event recording feature may allow the officer to include prior recording footage that may allow them to determine which individual instigated the fight," Herridge said. 

The cameras can be backed up for between 15 seconds and two minutes, according to Herridge. The TASER 7 also activates the cameras of all officers in the vicinity, offering multiple angles of an incident. 

'It's huge'

Herridge believes his force is the only police service in Southwestern Ontario using this latest technology.

"It's a win for the community. It's a win for the officer," said Herridge. "For an officer whose actions are being second-guessed ... a picture paints a thousand words, but for me, a video, especially multiple videos, paints a million words."

The St. Thomas Police Association agrees.

"There's protection for everybody absolutely," said association president, Scott Berge, who is also a constable with STPS. "The purpose of the cameras is to make it more transparent for not only the public but for the officer."

body-worn camera
Ontario Provincial Police have launched a pilot project on the use of body cameras for some of its officers. (OPP)

Ontario Provincial Police have just started a year-long pilot project where officers in some jurisdictions will be outfitted with body-worn cameras. 

               

The devices will be tested by officers at the Haldimand detachment and by officers in the West Region's Emergency Response Team and in the Traffic Division.  

Berge admits it took time to get used to wearing a camera, but now he said he wouldn't go back. 

"No, I don't think so. I think that would be a step backwards for policing."

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