Montreal Police Department is scheduled to implement body cameras for its officers within the next year, possibly as soon as six months from now, as reported by Radio-Canada. The initial announcement was made by La Presse and later corroborated by Radio-Canada.
The plan outlines the outfitting of 3,500 police officers with body cameras and around 600 patrol vehicles with vehicular cameras and automated license plate readers. In a move that follows through on an election promise, the city administration under Martinez Ferrada budgeted $40 million in its first municipal budget for the body cameras in January.
A press conference scheduled for 9 a.m. this Friday will provide more information, with Jim Beis, in charge of public safety and prevention, police Chief Fady Dagher, police union head Yves Francoeur, and the mayor expected to participate.
This development comes in response to Dagher’s strategy to rebuild community trust and address discrimination issues following allegations of racial profiling by certain officers in Montreal’s north end. The accusations, involving officers in Montréal-Nord borough, came to light in June, revealing that 16 officers at Station 39 were under investigation for alleged racist behaviors towards Black and Arab individuals during police stops.
In an update on Aug. 11, Dagher mentioned that three officers had been suspended, with investigations ongoing. A recent Quebec coroner’s report following the death of a 29-year-old man during a police intervention recommended the use of body cameras by officers.