Niagara police getting closer to implementing body cameras
April 3, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Body cameras have been a topic of consideration within the Niagara Regional Police (NRP) since 2015 when a report was first brought to the police services board.
Frontline officers elsewhere in Ontario and beyond have started wearing them, but local police have been collecting information and data before moving ahead with bringing them to Niagara.
In recent weeks, the NRP has been holding public sessions to get input from residents about body cameras being worn by officers.
The final day of the tour was Wednesday in Fort Erie.
NRP corporate analyst Hector Perez said “very positive sentiments” have been received so far throughout the six events hosted, one in each police district.
Police were present at the Leisureplex for a pair of two-hour sessions on Wednesday, and also set up briefly at Walmart to hear what people had to say.
NRP District 5 Commander Mike Ryan and Detective Sergeant Ray Aceti holding body cameras at the Leisureplex on Wednesday. Credit: Kris Dubé | Fort Erie RadioWith the NRP’s research nearing completion, Perez said it allows for the next potential steps to move forward.
“Now we’re better positioned to make an informed implementation of the program,” Perez told Fort Erie Radio on Wednesday.
In jurisdictions where police wear body cameras, surveys show a 15 to 20 per cent increase in community trust in police services, says a news release from the NRP when the public input sessions were first announced.
Perez said other benefits of these cameras include increased officer safety and a decrease in use-of-force arrests.
The footage the cameras capture can be used as evidence in a trial, which has also led to the Crown pushing for police services to use them, said Staff Sergeant Mike Ryan, district commander of the NRP in Fort Erie (District 5).
“Video evidence is the best evidence available and the courts are starting to expect it more and more,” he said, adding the new form of police equipment is an important piece in agencies being transparent.
Perez said the information gathered from the public sessions will soon be presented to the NRP board and eventually to regional council for a budget request, if the board chooses to go that route.
If body cameras become a reality, it would be a phased-in approach.
Perez said when the cost of a camera is factored, along with its technology and the roles of digital evidence management staff, it will create a total cost of about $4,000 per officer.
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About The Author
Kris Dubé
Kris is a veteran journalist who has worked in Niagara for close to 20 years. He is also a lifelong resident of Fort Erie, a place he plans to call home and raise his family for many more years.
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