Vancouver council passes motion on police body cameras

After being deferred a day and hearing from numerous public speakers on the matter, Vancouver city council passed a motion that will look into the cost of equipping VPD officers with body-worn cameras.

Council deliberated for close to an hour after the final public presentation on Wednesday, with two councillors proposing amendments to the motion.

#VanCityCouncil has approved Item 11. Implementing Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) for the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) (Member’s Motion B.6) Watch live: https://t.co/7b1vPWeb15 or Youtube https://t.co/iUabv6Ve8W

— Vancouver City Clerk (@VanCityClerk) December 8, 2022

Councillors Pete Fry and Christine Boyle wanted to ensure more research was done with the VPD through a pilot program before committing to a full rollout set in 2025. Both councillors’ amendments lost, with those voting against them all representing the ABC Vancouver Party.

In defence of the motion, Cllr. Lenny Zhou and Mayor Ken Sim both pointed to the public wanting more police accountability, saying body cameras will ensure that.

When it came time for the vote on the original motion, councillors Fry, Boyle and Adriane Carr — all non-ABC members — were the only ones who said ‘no.’

Since the motion was put on the council agenda, critics have expressed fears over privacy. Others have pointed to studies done that have come up with inconclusive results on the efficacy of body cameras.

Related Stories: 

• Body camera researcher says Vancouver public has been misled about use

• Vancouver city council to discuss body cams for VPD officers

• ABC Vancouver wants body cams for officers

Now that the motion has passed, council will now support the VPD in getting every officer a body-worn camera by 2025. Additionally, staff will be directed to find out how much the program will cost, with an update slated for 2024.

The passage of the motion marks another swift move to fulfill an ABC Vancouver promise. City council is already in the process of hiring 100 new police officers, which was the key campaign promise by Ken Sim’s mayoral run.

At the school board level, the ABC majority of trustees have already voted to reinstate the School Liaison Officer program. The party also holds a majority on the Vancouver Park Board, which has just voted to remove a controversial bike lane in Stanley Park.