‘Trust is everything’: Rollout of police body cameras in London underway

A list of questions were presented Thursday surrounding the new use of body cameras by police officers in London, Ont.

London Police Services Board (LPSB) members listened to a presentation that outlined the plan to deploy the cameras alongside other new technologies.

To date, 48 cameras have been deployed. The rollout will continue over the coming months.

Board members raised concerns about confidentiality, rights for those threatened by the cameras, and access rights to officers and the public.

The board was assured bodycam footage can only be viewed under strict guidelines and for court purposes.

Chief Thai Truong told CTV News he believes the cameras will improve public faith in his force, but not immediately.

“Trust is everything for us in the community. And body-worn cameras do not create trust. I don’t believe wearing a body cam is going to legitimize policing in our organization. What I can tell you is that I believe the body-worn camera technology is going to increase transparency and is going to increase accountability,” said Truong.