MONTREAL -- Dozens of Montrealers made their way to city hall on Saturday to renew the call to make body cameras compulsory for police officers.
“If we're going to bring in body cameras, we also want to ensure the data is stored in a place that is neutral, that the community has access to,” said Pharaoh Hamid-Freeman of the Black Coalition New Generation.
The push for police body cameras has been ongoing in Montreal for years. In 2016 and 2017, the city conducted a pilot project in which 78 officers wore them on duty, but following that experiment, the Valerie Plante administration concluded they would not be effective.
But city hall has since reversed course, saying it is working with the provincial Public Security Ministry to have the cameras implemented as soon as possible.
The renewed push for the cameras follows the arrest and subsequent release of Mamadi Camara, who was accused of assaulting a police officer and stealing their gun, but was eventually cleared of the charges. Montreal police were accused of racial profiling over the incident.
