The RCMP expects officers in three parts of the country to start field-testing body-worn cameras in the coming days. Members of the RCMP in Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Alberta will have audio and video from the cameras captured and uploaded onto a digital evidence management system.

The RCMP says up to 300 cameras will be rolled out in those locations, and these field tests will be used to help inform the broader use of body cameras in RCMP detachments across the country.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray believes one day, Regina Police Service officers will follow in the RCMP’s footsteps and wear body-worn cameras. The hurdle, Regina’s Police Chief says, is the cost.

Meanwhile, Saskatoon police launched a pilot project with 40 body cameras worn by officers in April 2022. Six months later Saskatoon Police Service announced it was going to double that number. The Saskatoon Police Service says they have just received an additional 20 that will be rolled out in the coming weeks for a total of 60.

A report from the police service says that in the first six months in use in Saskatoon, the cameras helped capture statements from witnesses and captured significant evidence.

The national rollout of body worn cameras for the RCMP is not expected for another 18 months, but the RCMP says that when it happens, the standard will be for Mounties to wear the cameras when working on the front lines.

CKRM with files from CJWW