BC RCMP: Body-Worn Cameras rolling out starting next week, coming to Peace region in 2025 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The BC RCMP announced on November 21st that 300 Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) will be distributed to several communities around the province. 

BC RCMP’s Division E Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald expects the BWCs to improve public and officer safety.

“The RCMP believes the cameras will enhance transparency and accountability as well as provide a first-person view of what police officers encounter daily, often in highly dynamic and tense situations,” says McDonald.

Assistant Commissioner John Brewer, who oversees RCMP Criminal Operations in the province, also expects the cameras to increase public trust and police behaviour. 

Starting November 24th, 300 BWCs will be divided between Mission, Tofino, Ucluelet, Cranbrook and the Cranbrook British Columbia Highway Patrol, Kamloops, and Prince George. 

Fort St. John and the rest of the Peace Region will roll out BWCs starting in early 2025.

“We anticipate that nearly all frontline RCMP officers will be using the cameras by early 2026,” says Brewer.

According to the BC RCMP, the initial rollout represents 10 per cent of the cameras that will eventually be distributed and will be the largest rollout of any police agency in the province. 

A total of 3,000 cameras will be deployed over the next 12 to 18 months.

“The roll-out of body-worn cameras is part of the RCMP’s modernization efforts and is the national standard for all RCMP officers across the country,” says Brewer.

The RCMP estimates the BWCs and Digital Evidence Management Services (DEMS) will cost each user $3,000 per year. 

Since 2020, the Federal Government has urged the RCMP to use BWCs as a response to Indigenous communities that raised concerns over interactions with police.

The RCMP agreed that the cameras would increase accountability and improve police transparency, and they are now the national standard for the RCMP.

“Body-worn cameras and the digital evidence management system is more than just a new tool in the RCMP’s modernization efforts. I am hopeful it is also viewed as a pivotal step toward addressing systemic racism,” says McDonald.

The RCMP’s body cam footage policy is publicly available and can be viewed here.