More dangerous, right? According to Taser International, the manufacturer of the devices used most often by law enforcement, the answer is no. That’s because the charge is low current and pulsed, instead of the continuous high current from electrical outlets. Exposure to high-voltage, low-current shocks — such as a static discharge on a dry day — are far less dangerous. Static shocks regularly exceed 30,000 volts, yet they deliver very low amounts of electric charge, and static shocks directly cause injuries.

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The Taser works by mimicking and interfering with the electrical signals used by the human body to communicate between the brain and the muscles. It is like static on the telephone lines within the body. The Taser probes carry fine wires that deliver the prongs into the neural network, overwhelming the normal nerve traffic, causing involuntary muscle contractions and impairment of motor skills.

The pain caused by the prongs that penetrate the clothing and then the skin has been described as being hit by a fishhook.

Unlike other jurisdictions, there are significant privacy implications in Canada and Ontario that govern any Canadian police agency’s ability to release footage from the BWC and ICC systems. If it was determined that a video may protect the public and/or further an investigation, it may be vetted for release in the same way security videos are released.  In every case, the privacy of victims and uninvolved members of the public will always be considered.

An officer will turn on the Body-Worn Camera system prior to arriving at a call for service; when they start investigating an individual; or, whenever they are enforcing the law.  The video will be used to capture investigative and enforcement activities and is not to be used to carry out general surveillance surreptitiously.

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Recorded data cannot be altered or deleted at any time by the recording officer.  Members of the Digital Disclosure Team, a centralized file preparation unit, will be permitted to redact the Body-Worn and In-Car Camera data, as per Service procedures covering video recordings for court disclosure purposes. The original, unedited version will always remain in the cloud-based storage system.

© 2017 Waterloo Regional Police Service, 200 Maple Grove Road, P.O. Box 3070, Cambridge, ON N3H 5M1, Emergency: 911, Non-Emergency: 519-570-9777

The WRPS Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Unit assisted in connecting the Modernization Project team with community groups with a vested interest in BWC technology for direct feedback.

That is what happens when a Taser is deployed. Taser is actually an acronym for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle. Tom Swift was the hero of a series of science fiction and adventure novels aimed at youths. The novels emphasized science, invention, and technology and anticipated many inventions that eventually came to pass.

The Taser used by Stoughton police is the X2 model, which has an effective range of up to 25 feet and can be deployed twice without reloading the nitrogen cartridges that propel the prongs.

The impairment is temporary. In the video he produced for YouTube in a successful bid to get Town Meeting to approve funding for Tasers in May 2011, Stoughton Police Chief Paul Shastany demonstrates being “Tased.’’

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A Privacy Impact Assessment has been initiated by the Service to assess compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Compliance is an essential foundation to protecting the right of privacy.

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The pilot determined BWC is a transparent policing tool capable of providing accurate records of our interactions with the public. Surveys of our membership involved in the pilot found high support for the technology as the pilot evolved, corroborated by the overwhelming support from our local community.

A member of the public and/or their representative(s) may be allowed to view BWC and ICC recordings that capture an incident in which they were involved for certain purposes, such as:

The Service has taken significant steps to ensure the security of the video once it has been recorded.  These include, but are not limited to the following:

The pilot project included engagement and input from project stakeholders, such as community groups and outside agencies with whom the WRPS regularly interacts. Engagement with community stakeholders took place throughout the pilot program to gather feedback and input for the potential development of a permanent program.

During the pilot, officers made information sheets available to anyone who has interacted with officers wearing a BWC device. The information sheets contained a QR code link to a voluntary survey to provide feedback on specific interactions. An online survey was also be made available to the entire community and an email address was created for the community to interact directly with a project team member to ask questions and provide further feedback.

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Like any other allegation of misconduct for non-compliance with a procedure, complaint investigations can be initiated by the Chief of Police or made to the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA). Once substantiated, officers may face any number of disciplinary actions, up to and including dismissal.

Tasers are also known as ECDs (electronic control devices) or CEWs (conducted electrical weapons). The five-second charge generated by a Taser ECD can be more than 5,000 volts, compared with 110 volts from a typical wall socket.

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“I was completely under the control of the Taser,’’ he said. “It’s an incredible, incredible feeling. This is the most intense pain I’ve ever felt in my life.’’

Following a successful 16-month pilot program, the WRPS Police Services Board has approved the permanent deployment of both Body-Worn Camera (BWC) and In-Car Camera (ICC) systems region-wide.

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Two police officers help Shastany as he groans and falls to the floor. But a short while later, he says he is fine, and is able to stand and speak.

Some Taser models have a “drive stun’’ capability that allows the weapon to be held against the target without firing the projectiles and is intended to cause pain without incapacitating the target.Rich Fahey

Starting in 2023, BWC will be assigned to every frontline officer by division until full deployment is reached in 2025. The rollout will begin with patrol officers at North Division, Traffic Services, Community Engagement Unit, Emergency Response Team, Canine, then at South Division, ending with officers at Central Division.

On December 14, 2022, the WRPS Board accepted this grant money and provided approval for the Service to operate a formalized ICC program region-wide using ALPR technology. This system has been rolled out and is fully integrated with BWC and our Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS).

BWC and ICC systems will provide police accountability while balancing privacy rights with law enforcement needs. Internal procedures have been created with the assistance of the “Model Governance Framework for Police Body-Worn Cameras in Ontario” developed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. These clear procedures will ensure proper, consistent and credible use of BWC and ICC technology.

An officer will turn off the Body-Worn Camera system when the call for service, investigation, or enforcement is complete.  An officer is also allowed to turn the video off for the following reasons:

Officers will receive on use of the equipment as well as training on procedures related to privacy, security, retention, redaction, and storage of the footage gathered from the video systems from Service experts. A portion of this training was created based on the Governance Framework produced by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

The only time a request to turn off a Body-Worn Camera system will be actioned is when an officer has entered a private residence or place and the owner/occupant does not provide consent to record.

The provincial government provided extensive grant money to police services across Ontario to install Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology, allowing WRPS to outfit 100 front-line patrol vehicles. This technology uses cameras and software that automatically scans licence plates. It alerts officers to stolen plates, or plates registered to suspended drivers. The system can also notify officers of missing and wanted persons, as well as vehicles associated with AMBER alerts. This specific technology also provides the ability to use this ‘dash cam’ type camera as a comprehensive In-Car Camera system.

This assessment focuses on the collection, use, retention, disclosure, security and disposal of personal information for both technology systems.  It also identifies the actual/potential effects BWC & ICC may have on an individual’s privacy and supports informed decision-making.

Two prongs shaped like fishhooks hit you first. They are connected to fine wires, and deliver an electrical current through your body that makes every muscle contract. In an instant, you lose all control.

Strict controls have been developed to govern who has access to the video footage.  The recording officer will have access to their own video data, along with their supervisor (for auditing purposes) and some officers from specialized investigative units.   Anyone else who is required to view the video will submit a formal request for access.  This process comes with a robust auditing and tracking system.