B.C. RCMP body cameras; expert warns footage never going to be released [Video]

As the RCMP prepare to strap cameras to the chests of front-line police officers, an expert warns they might not work — at least, not in the way some had hoped.

B.C. RCMP are rolling out body-worn cameras in a phased approach, starting this winter with a handful of departments, including those in Cranbrook, Kamloops, Mission, Prince George, Tofino and Ucluelet.

“The most important point of this program is strengthening transparency, accountability and public trust,” B.C. RCMP spokesperson Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said in an interview with CTV News.

Body-worn cameras have long been viewed as a tool that could contribute to reductions in police use of force and public complaints. The evidence behind that idea is inconsistent, said Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University.

“Sometimes they do; sometimes they don’t; sometimes there’s no statistical significance between officers with cameras and officers without,” said Schneider, who has written …