RCMP looking forward to using new mandatory body cams

By Lethbridge Herald on May 27, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

Members of the Coaldale and Picture Butte RCMP will be equipped with body-worn cameras starting next month, as part of a nation-wide rollout of body-worn cameras that began last fall. 

Staff Sgt. Mike Numan, detachment commander for Coaldale and Picture Butte, says the new equipment will benefit both RCMP members and the public, and he wants to make sure everyone is aware of it. 

“I wanted to create some awareness to everyone who we interact with on a day-to-day basis, that we will now be equipped with body-worn cameras, like other detachments across the country and other policing agencies like Lethbridge Police Service,” says Numan. 

He adds that the RCMP officers went through a comprehensive training and are now ready to use the technology while serving their communities.

“This is really going to benefit us and the public as well, for accountability on both sides of that interaction,” says Numan. 

The cameras will not run non-stop, he points out, but it is up to the RCMP member to turn it on whenever they are entering into an investigation or interacting in any way that is duty related. The footage will be captured and stored in a large server and will be available as part of our investigations and will be disclosable for court proceedings, if necessary.

Numan says the technology is an advantage for RCMP officers, as the cameras will provide them with video and audio evidence that will provide an independent and objective way to capture interactions between the community and RCMP officers. 

“This will provide an objective opinion of what is going on, instead of just five minutes of somebody’s cellphone video of just pieces of the interaction.”

He says he believes tit will protect both the public and officers by showing the live interactions that take place between them. 

Jeff McGowan, Alberta Director with the National Police Federation, says the NPF is excited about body-worn camera, as they had been advocating for the technology for a long time. 

“I think it’s going to be a huge benefit for everyone in terms of public safety, transparency and accountability and the biggest thing I am looking forward to, is the fact that it will give the general public an understanding of what police officers deal with and see during their shifts,” says McGowan. 

He says this will provide an unfiltered view of what police officers deal with, and what happens during interactions with the public. 

“I think information is key and there is a lot of stuff that is misunderstood when it comes to police and interactions with the public and it depends on how things are being reported. So having that unfiltered view will assist on that,” says McGowan. 

He says there will be limitations to it as it is only one perspective, but he believes it will certainly assist on understanding how things are actually going down. 

“It will also provide another piece of evidence that could be used in conjunction with the officer’s personal recollection and whatever notes they make. It is an extra tool that can be beneficial, especially when you’re in court as the more information a judge has, the better off everything is going to be,” says McGowan. 

Previously, president and CEO of NPF Brian Sauvé said the body-worn cameras will support transparency, trust, evidence collection and community relations between police officers and the public.