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When a weapon is drawn from the holster, the Signal Sidearm tells any Axon camera within 30 feet to start recording. If there are multiple Axon cameras present, they all start recording, providing video footage from a variety of angles.

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The cameras will operate in “passive” mode — recording only low-quality video and no audio — until an officer presses record, which they will be “encouraged” to do during interactions with the public, he said.

The cameras come with significant cost and administrative time. Officers will have to log their video at the end of shift, though some of the data will be handled by administrative staff. Indexing and disclosing the video may be required if there’s an incident likely to result in charges.

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An EPS spokeswoman said the service has a bridge contract with Axon allowing officers to use the technology “while we wait to ensure provincial (request for proposals) to procure a provincial body-worn video and digital evidence management system solution” where footage is uploaded and stored.

Axon gun camera

EPS began piloting the cameras last July, months after the provincial government announced it was requiring Alberta police services to implement body-worn camera programs.

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The service — which recently had its funding formula restored, tying budget increases to inflation and population growth — is in “ongoing talks with city council” about covering the operational costs, Derko added.

“Overall, they aim to create a more efficient accountability process and reduce use-of-force incidents for both officers and the public,” Derko said. “Some of the anticipated outcomes of using body-worn cameras include increasing transparency, reducing unfounded allegations of police misconduct, while (increasing) public trust and confidence in the EPS.”

Officers more likely to have contentious interactions with the public — including the encampment removal unit, the Chinatown-based healthy streets operations centre and transit and community safety teams — will be the first to get the new Axon-brand devices.

AxonSignal SidearmMute Mode

Plans to equip EPS cruisers with dashcams are still being explored, though body-worn cameras took precedence given the provincial government announcement, Derko added.

As for cases where a person is seriously injured or killed by police, the decision to release the footage ahead of trial will be up to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). Derko said ASIRT could either give EPS permission to release the footage, or do so itself unilaterally.

“This cost is a best estimate based in limited data,” Krysta Martell said in an email. “The phased rollout of body-worn cameras that the EPS is implementing will bring some clarity to the true cost of body-worn cameras.”

This is similar to practices in other jurisdictions that use body-worn cameras, Derko said, to mitigate the difficulties that come with processing high-quality video of an entire 12-hour shift. The camera also turns on automatically whenever a Taser is fired, and in response to loud sounds like gunshots.

The Signal Sidearm, despite its slightly confusing name and provided artwork, isn't a pricey, complex smart weapon, but rather a sensor that can be retrofitted into "most existing firearm holsters." The sensor is powered by a coin cell battery that lasts approximately 1.5 years. It sounds like the sensor is technologically very simple, which hopefully means it's also very reliable.

The announcement comes in the wake of the deadly police shooting of Mathios Arkangelo, who was killed by an officer June 29. Arkangelo’s family have released 25 minutes of footage taken from nearby security camera. In an interview with CBC, Chief Dale McFee said such videos sometimes “don’t (paint) the whole picture.” He said people who release such videos should “step back and realize they’re not helping the justice process.”

The whole point of the Axon Signal tech is to hopefully increase the reliability of police body-worn camera footage. If the cameras start recording at pre-defined triggers, require little manual intervention, and there is redundancy built into the system via multiple sensors—siren, car door, holster, magazine—then there's a lower chance of an incident not being recorded.

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Edmonton Coun. Anne Stevenson said she is concerned the province could download operational costs onto the municipality.

Axon, the body cam division of Taser International, has announced Signal Sidearm, a gun holster sensor that detects when a weapon has been removed from a holster and automatically prompts all nearby body cams to start recording.

Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important.

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Of course, if the sensors aren't properly maintained or camera footage is accidentally deleted, then automatic recording tech isn't all that useful. But hey, one step at a time.

Axon holster sensor

Derko said he is hopeful the cameras will improve transparency, lead to calmer interactions between police and the public and reduce use-of-force incidents.

In a statement, public safety ministry spokesman Arthur Green said body-worn cameras would be implemented across Alberta police services and sheriffs by the 2025-26 fiscal year. He did not answer questions about how the programs will be funded.

Addressing the fact officers have leeway in deciding whether to record an interaction, Derko said there could be disciplinary consequences if an officer is found to have deliberately failed to record an interaction.

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Derko said the cost of hardware, software, licensing, infrastructure and civilian support staff are estimated at $12 million a year. He said EPS would look internally for “efficiencies” to fund their ongoing operation. That does not include the administrative cost of officers managing the camera footage, which one officer said can take up to an hour at the end of shift.

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The Signal Performance Power Magazine, which slots into the aforementioned Tasers. Signal Sidearm joins two other "Signal" products. Signal Vehicle can be configured to broadcast a wireless "start recording!" message when the car door opens, or when the police lights or siren are activated. And the Signal Performance Power Magazine is a replacement battery pack for the Taser X2 and X26P that tells nearby cameras to start recording when the weapon is armed, and also logs the exact moment the trigger is pulled.

Axon is most famous for its body-worn (or spectacles-mounted) cameras, which are worn by UK and US police, but it also sells dash cams that are used on some police vehicles. Oddly, the Axon site doesn't mention whether the sensor will also work with British police truncheons.

“If the province has new legislative requirements and those legislative requirements have costs, then my hope would be a collaboration where they’re covering those costs,” she said, adding she is speaking in her role as a councillor and not as a police commissioner.

But whether the devices will prove effective at increasing transparency — and how EPS will cover the associated costs — remains to be seen.