Toronto may never see body-worn camera police footage
by Jessica Bruno and Mark McAllister
Posted Apr 21, 2021 5:41 pm EDT
Last Updated Apr 21, 2021 at 5:50 pm EDT
Canadians are watching as footage from U.S. officers’ body-worn cameras are released days, or even hours, after police have shot and killed people of colour.
But in Toronto, even as more police wear cameras, experts say it’s unlikely the public here would ever see video that fast – if at all.
“Any time it’s a serious incident, it goes directly to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). You might not hear about it for six months, nine months, whatever the case may be,” said Erick Laming, a criminologist specializing in police reform at the University of Toronto. “This greatly differs from the U.S. in most jurisdictions.”