On Tuesday, March 14, Alberta's government announced that there will be a mandate of body-worn cameras for all police services in the province. Once deployed, Alberta would be the first province to mandate all police services to equip officers with body-worn cameras.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, said that the mandate is a transformational decision that will ensure all interactions with officers are objective.

"Whether living in large cities or smaller rural communities, Albertans have the right to feel safe and have trust that police will assist and be fair in doing so," Ellis stated.

According to the Airdrie RCMP, while mounties are currently testing body-worn cameras - including in Alberta, Nova Scotia and Nunavut, Airdrie is not one of the chosen pilot sites.

"The Airdrie RCMP supports the use of body-worn cameras. As with in-car video recording systems, body-worn cameras allow for an impartial collection of evidence; this is beneficial for the public, police and the courts," wrote Cpl. James McConnell of Airdrie RCMP's Community Policing.

The government said that it is partnering with the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) to develop the mandate and standards required to implement the use of body-worn cameras provincewide, in addition to working out costs and logistics.

"This work includes conversations with front-line police officers in Alberta, including all municipal police services and the three self-administered Indigenous police services."

There is no timeline as of yet for when the body-worn cameras would be instated. 

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