Coaldale’s community peace officers and bylaw officers are now equipped with body-worn cameras, giving the town another way to document enforcement interactions and address public complaints.
The Town of Coaldale introduced the cameras to all frontline officers on Oct. 15 in partnership with Axon Public Safety Canada.
Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn said the cameras provide an objective record of interactions between officers and the public, helping with evidence collection, investigations, complaint resolution and court proceedings.
“Transparency and accountability are fundamental to maintaining public trust in municipal government, particularly when it comes to enforcement,” Van Rijn said. “By wearing body-worn cameras, our frontline officers can ensure that their interactions with members of the public are documented in a fair, objective, and professional manner.”
The cameras will be used during various enforcement activities, including calls for service, traffic stops, investigative detentions, arrests, prisoner handling and potentially adversarial interactions. Officers may also activate them when evidence could be obtained. A red indicator light signals when a camera is recording.
Mike Numan, the town’s manager of enforcement services, said the technology is intended to improve officer safety and strengthen public confidence in the department.
Town officials said privacy safeguards will apply when footage is disclosed for trials, reviews or other legal proceedings. These measures include tools to blur images, black out sensitive information and remove audio to protect private, privileged and irrelevant information.
Protected information could include medical records, credit card details, victim and witness safety plans, and privileged communications with legal or medical professionals.
Access to recorded footage is governed by Alberta’s Access to Information Act and Protection of Privacy Act. Members of the public seeking access to recordings must follow the same procedures as other information requests submitted to the town.
In limited circumstances, community peace officers may also release footage publicly to assist an investigation, subject to applicable legislation.
Numan said the cameras provide a record of interactions while helping balance accountability with privacy protections and legal requirements.
