Local police officers now wearing body cameras

WELLINGTON COUNTY – All local police officers will soon be wearing body cameras.

Wellington County OPP officials announced the move on Sept. 22.

“The OPP is committed to adopting tools and technologies that improve the quality of evidence, enhance accountability and transparency, and ultimately support the safety of both the public and officers in the communities we serve,” stated the OPP press release.

Police say the move to outfit “each individual officer” with body-worn cameras (BWC), which also impacts other West Region OPP detachments,  follows “a successful roll-out” of in-car cameras with an automated licence plate recognition system.

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“The BWCs are worn on the front of the officer’s vest and are clearly visible to anyone an officer may be interacting with,” the OPP release stated.

Police say the cameras will display a visible green ring with flashing lights when in standby mode, which will turn flashing red once [they] begin recording.

“The full deployment of the BWCs in Wellington County is expected to be complete as soon as practicable, though officers who have finished training will begin using them immediately,” the OPP stated.

The OPP first announced a one-year evaluation study of BWCs in September of 2021.

Started in May of that year, the study aimed to outfit 100 officers with the cameras.

The outcome of the study was not made public.