Last year, the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Board introduced a motion for the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) to introduce body cams for front-line officers, and it sounds like we could be seeing the beginning of that movement soon.
According to a recent police board meeting, a working group is working towards a pilot program to start in Q4 2023, running for six months.
The end goal is to have all front-line and patrol officers equipped with body cams by 2025.
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According to the meeting, a significant milestone has been reached: selecting Axon as the preferred vendor.
Axon is an American company based in Arizona that specializes in technology for military, law enforcement and civilians.
“Guidelines for the upcoming Pilot with Axon have been created and will guide communications with the public and impacted stakeholders, such as BC Ambulance Service and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service.”
For the pilot, approximately 100 officers will take part.
The initial motion to bring body cams to Vancouver police was approved on December 7, 2022.
VPD is expected to report to the police board and Vancouver City Council by the end of 2024 with information and recommendations about the program.
Other police agencies were consulted about the program, including the Delta Police Department, Toronto Police Service, Calgary Police Service, and even the NYPD.
We’ve contacted the Vancouver Police Board for more specifics on the expected pilot launch date.
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