Halton police installing 'side cameras' on cruisers to nab distracted drivers

Halton police are rolling out side cameras on cruisers — a move the force says will help nab distracted drivers on the region's roads.

In a news release issued Wednesday, police said that since the start of this year, authorities have laid over 1,000 distracted driving charges in Halton.

"Distracted driving is a growing concern in our community. It's one of those issues that is very high on the public agenda," said Halton Police Supt. Derek Davis in a promotional video about the cameras.

"The side camera technology allows us to actually take evidentiary footage of the offence itself, and be able to have that support the officer's testimony in a court circumstance."

Stiffer fines and long-term consequences were instituted for distracted drivers in Ontario in 2019.

Most drivers caught talking, texting, dialling or emailing on a handheld device can now be fined up to $1,000 — more than double the previous fine. Additional penalties include a three-day licence suspension and three demerit points.

Police say the cameras also include live-stream capabilities.

Though police are heralding the move as positive, one privacy expert is far less enthused.

Ann Cavoukian, executive director of the Global Privacy and Security by Design Centre, told CBC Toronto that these cameras aren't necessary.

"They're going to capture everything that's going on in people's cars," said Cavoukian, who formerly served as Ontario's information and privacy commissioner.

"The growth of surveillance, it's just intensifying — the use of cameras for purposes, in my view, that were never intended. The problem is you're eroding people's privacy ... not enhancing public safety or security."

Halton police said in its news release that the cameras are being installed to "promote public safety while balancing the public's right to privacy."