OTTAWA - The country's federal and provincial privacy watchdogs are urging police departments to ponder the risks to privacy before they start equipping officers with body-worn cameras.
The federal privacy commissioner and privacy and personal information protection officials across the country have produced a guidance document on the subject.
The document says police should consider whether the expected benefits from the use of such cameras outweigh the impact on privacy and personal information.
It suggests that police assess the overall risks to privacy and consider using pilot projects before embracing the widespread use of such cameras.
Police should also make sure that people are informed when a camera program is introduced.
The guidelines also say people should be told when police are recording encounters
