The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) will begin deploying body-worn cameras to over 500 front-line officers starting on March 3rd.
The HPS held a community meeting in late February at the central police station. Around a dozen people attended in person, and many more participated online.
What follows are my notes from the event.
The evening began with Sergeant Scott Moore, the project coordinator, demonstrating the camera’s features and explaining HPS policies that require officers to activate the cameras before arriving at most calls for service, when conducting an investigation, and when asking questions to gather information.
Moore stated that officers cannot cover or obscure the cameras except in very limited circumstances. In response to an audience question, Moore confirmed that officers who fail to activate their cameras when required could face disciplinary action.
Most questions concerned privacy concerns, freedom of information request processing, and how police will ensure that crime victims are not harmed by being recorded.
A person discussed the scenario of being recorded while stopped at a RIDE checkpoint, noting that the recording would include other people in the vehicle, and asked how they could ensure the recording was destroyed.
The Hamilton Police Freedom of Information coordinator stated that a person can file a request to have the record destroyed. A civilian employee will review the request, and if the record has no investigative reason for retention, it will be destroyed after the one-year anniversary of the recording. Hamilton Police will then notify the requester, confirming the destruction.
HPS states the default retention period for recordings is three years, which was arrived at as being the two-year statute of limitations for civil claims plus one year.
Recordings that are investigative evidence will be retained following existing HPS retention policies.
Hamilton Police emphasized numerous times that the police service completely controls the system they’ve purchased from Axon, and no external body (including the manufacturer) will have access to it.
All system usage, such as reviewing and editing recordings, will be logged and routinely audited.
The HPS FOI coordinator said civilian staff will review all freedom of information requests for video recordings. Redactions will be made in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
As is currently the case with FOI requests, some record requests will need to be appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario for mediation and a decision.
The Community Safety and Policing Act permits the Chief of Police to release video when they deem it in the public interest, except during investigations by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit.
More information on the body-worn camera program, including a FAQ section and links to policies, is available on the HPS website here: https://hamiltonpolice.on.ca/body-worn-cameras
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Published: March 29, 2025
Last updated: March 29, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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