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Initial cost of body cameras for Guelph police set at $500,000

That figure does not include yearly operating costs of about $365,000 for the first year alone
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The Guelph Police Service has budgeted half a million dollars toward outfitting its officers with body worn cameras starting in 2022.

In a 10-year budget forecast presented to the Guelph Police Services Board earlier this week, the full implementation of the program will cost an estimated $514,400 for the cameras alone, including IT costs.

Not included in that estimate are the operating costs for the project, which will cover annual maintenance, video transcription and salaries for two forensic video technicians. In the first year that dollar amount is expexcted to be an additional $366,350.

Also included in the 10-year forecast is a plan to replace the cameras every three years, for a total equipment and IT cost over those 10 years of $1,655,500, not including operating cost. 

The 2020 pilot project for the cameras will include an academic research project component, which will provide feedback to the board to help it make a final decision whether to include the devices in the 2022 budget.

Although the full roll out of the project is not proposed to begin until 2022, the department is currently putting together a pilot project this year to test the cameras with a smaller group of officers for the budgeted cost of $30,000.

Last month, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Guelph Police chief Gord Cobey said the department is willing to examine the use of body won cameras and announced the pilot project. 

Around the same time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wanted to see the RCMP and municipal and provincial police forces to use body cameras. Trudeau’s statement was also made in response to the backlash in response to the death of Floyd.

The department first announced it planned on purchasing the cameras in 2016 and budgeted $75,000 toward the project in its 10-year budget forecast at that time, but did not immediately follow through.

- With files from The Canadian Press.



Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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