Ensuring transparency between police and public

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Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 1:30pm

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Alberta is building trust between police and communities by mandating body-worn cameras for all police services in the province.

Police officers are responding to calls that are more complex, often requiring responding officers to take a well-thought-out, multi-pronged approach while tensions are escalating. Split-second decisions can cause the public to raise concerns about the actions taken and whether appropriate force was used. These doubts erode public safety and can create further delays in Alberta’s justice system, causing violent criminals to stay on the streets longer.

Alberta’s government is partnering with the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) to develop the mandate and standards required to implement the use of body-worn cameras provincewide, in addition to working out costs and logistics. This work includes conversations with front-line police officers in Alberta, including all municipal police services and the three self-administered Indigenous police services.

Once deployed provincewide, Albertans and police services will be assured that engagements between the public and police services will be more transparent. With body cameras in place, it will be easier to review interactions with police services, which will help promote accountability for all parties. The most effective way to keep Albertans safe and secure in their communities is to build relationships and trust with the police that serve them.

Alberta is undergoing a paradigm shift of policing across the province, where police transition from the strong arm of the state to an extension of the community they serve. The most effective way for police to become an extension of the community they serve is by building trust and relationships with the public. Alberta’s police services are professional and highly educated, and Alberta’s government wants the province to be a leader and role model for policing in North America and across the world.

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