Montreal police consider personal cameras for officers

As more and more police interventions arecaught on cellphone videos by bystanders, theMontrealpolice force is considering equipping officers with cameras of their own.

"Webelieve at least that both sides of the story will be broadcast if something happens.It will be possible to react to thisto show both sides of the story," saidCmdr.IanLafrenire of the Montreal police department. "We've been talking with the union.Alot of people are sayingwe should do this."

A second video in less than a week has surfaced of Montreal policeinvolved in questionablebehaviour.

Last week, the attention was on avideo of anofficer threatening a panhandler.

• Montreal officer to be disciplined for threat to homeless man

This week, anotheremerged of anofficer punching a teenager.

• Video of officer punching youth lacks context, Montreal police say

However,Lafreniresays these videos often fail to tell the whole story.

"We make mistakes and when that happens we face the consequences. Butwhen police officers are doing a good job and there is only one side of the story in the media, that's a lot of frustration for them," saidLafrenire.

Police in Rialto, Californiasay that since they started equipping officers with camera, complaintsdropped by 88 per cent and use of force went down by 60 per cent.

"The results were quite amazing," said Chief William A. Farrar with the Rialto Police Department.

Calgarypolice have also decided to expand a pilot program.

• Calgary police keeping cameras on uniforms

For Montreal police, there are still manyquestions about how it could work, including the costsand logisticsinaforce with 7,000employees.

"If an incident happened, like... the Dawson [College shooting]which was a huge incident for us with a lot of officers we would have to submit all that footage. So for us it could get into a nightmare," saidLafrenire.