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Cameras bring accountability to the job

An investment in new technology has reaped major rewards, said Okotoks’ top bylaw officer. In March 2016, Okotoks Municipal Enforcement introduced body cameras as part of its officer uniforms.
Okotoks municipal enforcement officer Andy Wiebe says the body cameras worn on shift give him an extra level of accountability and comfort on the job.
Okotoks municipal enforcement officer Andy Wiebe says the body cameras worn on shift give him an extra level of accountability and comfort on the job.

An investment in new technology has reaped major rewards, said Okotoks’ top bylaw officer.

In March 2016, Okotoks Municipal Enforcement introduced body cameras as part of its officer uniforms. The seven WatchGuard camera units cost $900 each, and municipal enforcement manager Tim Stobbs said it was well worth the cost.

“It’s been a very good thing,” said Stobbs. “It’s one of those things that’s turned out better than we ever hoped.”

The cameras are always running, but specific events can be flagged with the push of a button and recordings are marked from one minute before. It complements video taken by the cameras inside municipal enforcement vehicles, which have been used for years, said Stobbs.

He said the main difference now is being able to see and hear an officer’s interaction with a person up close, which adds to the accountability of municipal enforcement officers.

“The public likes it when we can disclose what actually happened, particularly parents,” he said. “It often gives a different perspective.”

Stobbs said the cameras have solved a lot of inquiries based on ‘he-said-she-said’ issues. With video footage of any interaction, he said it’s easy to see whether an officer acted appropriately and respectfully and how the conversation or arrest went.

In the past, disagreements over how a situation played out may have resulted in formal complaints. Over the past year there has not been one sustained verbal complaint against an officer, said Stobbs.

“I deal with inquiries about a situation on a daily and weekly basis,” said Stobbs. “I review the information with people, and the video, and normally I do not receive the formal written complaint.”

Video footage of an incident is always open for those involved to take a look, he said.

The body cameras are most valuable during incidents where physical restraint or arrest is necessary, he said.

“When you have to put hands on people, it mitigates them saying they were mistreated because we have the actual footage of what actually occurred,” said Stobbs.

Sometimes footage taken by municipal enforcement cameras can be provided to the RCMP after they have completed an arrest to demonstrate mistreatment, he said.

It’s important to ensure officers are always exercising caution when applying use of force, said Stobbs. The can be used as a training tool to guide officers in the future.

“It’s an awesome tool for that, because we don’t do things perfectly all the time,” said Stobbs. “And when we err or when we’re borderline, it’s best for us to correct that immediately.”

Officer Andy Wiebe said wearing the body cameras on-duty makes him feel safe and more comfortable knowing he has evidence of every interaction.

“It makes everybody, it makes me, accountable, which I’m perfectly fine with at the end of the day,” said Wiebe. “It makes me feel comfortable, knowing the fact that if a call goes back to the office saying, ‘Your officer was rude to my 15-year-old son,’ my boss will say, ‘No problem. I’ll just bring up the footage and we’ll take a look.’ And usually we’ll see that the officer wasn’t really that rude after all.”

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