Cameras Show Police Have Nothing to Hide
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January 24, 2014 – Vol. 19 No. 4 Cameras show police have nothing to hide Jan 16 2014 OTTAWA - The RCMP commis- sioner has quietly warned Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney the government must do more to fight cybercrime - an expanding threat the top Mountie says is undermin- ing the economy and putting Ca- nadians at risk. Page 2 Jan 16 2014 TORONTO - Toronto police have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of an officer who admitted in court to stripping “hun- dreds” of people naked as part of routine searches. Page 3 Jan 20 2014 Jan 16 2014 MONTREAL - In an age where nearly The cameras are about the size of a smart EDMONTON - Edmonton Police say phone and are clipped to the officer’s chest. Segway usage in the city has been everyone has a camera on their smart so successful, they are looking to phone, a growing number of police In Montreal, the request for the devices add more to city streets. forces are looking to arm their officers came from the police officers themselves, who Page 4 with a recording device of their own. say videos posted online and spread on social From small town California to bustling media often fail to show the full exchange in Jan 20 2014 London, England, law enforcement officials an intervention. TORONTO - The jury at an inquest argue that body-worn video cameras will help “The goal of this is to show both sides examining the police shooting improve transparency and restore public trust of the story. What they are scared of is that deaths of three mentally ill Toronto in the police. people will only see part of the intervention,’’ residents is being taken through The idea is gaining traction in Canada. said Ian Lafreniere, a spokesman for Mon- some 220 proposed recommenda- Calgary has used them in a limited capac- treal police. tions as closing arguments are de- ity since last August and they have also been “This is why police officers would love livered in coroner’s court. tested in cities such as Toronto, Edmonton to have cameras, because you could see it ex- Page 7 and Ottawa. actly what happens. When you’re working in Jan 22 2014 Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto are Montreal, you know that you’ll be filmed not TORONTO - Ontario’s top court considering their wide use. only by personal cameras, but by surveillance has ruled that a man whose case prompted a constitutional challenge to a mandatory minimum sentence for a gun crime should not be sent back to jail. Page 9 cameras as well. ‘’ “It is my view that the government needs Montreal police, like those elsewhere, to focus more on this pillar of the strategy,’’ have found themselves under increased THURSDAY Paulson says. scrutiny because of videos by citizens JANUARY 16, 2014 “This growing threat significantly im- posted online. pacts the economic prosperity of our country, Earlier this month, a cop was captured as well as individual Canadians.’’ Jan 16 2014 on video telling a homeless man he would tie The letter, obtained by The Canadian him to a pole for an hour in the freezing cold WHITBY, Ont. - Three police employ- Press under the Access to Information Act, if his behaviour didn’t improve. ees in Ontario are under investigation was prepared for Blaney as part of an exten- The officer can be seen telling the man that over a YouTube movie trailer spoof de- sive briefing package sent to the new minis- if another citizen complained to police about picting them trying to be re-assigned ter, who was appointed in July. him he would “tie him to a pole for an hour.’’ from court services duty. Accompanying briefing notes say while ef- The introduction of the cameras is intend- Durham regional police say the minute- forts to secure the online world have progressed ed to restore trust in the police force. long video shows the two constables and a under the federal strategy announced in 2010, For the pilot project in Calgary, officers special constable in uniform, inside Durham “a gap remains’’ concerning law enforcement’s began testing out the cameras in November police facilities, and using police-issued ability to effectively tackle cybercrime. 2012, with 50 cameras deployed across the equipment. The offences - which take on “a new police force. The video, produced to appear like a scope and gravity’’ in cyberspace - include Cameras were activated when officers Hollywood trailer, says the three are “forced child exploitation, cyberbullying, Internet- were responding to a call or came across an to serve prisoners’’ and depicts them mop- based mass marketing fraud, identity theft, incident requiring investigation. The city is ping out cells and supplying a prisoner with intellectual property infringement, money planning to gradually expand the program. toilet paper. laundering and illegal goods trafficking. Proponents of body-worn cameras point Another scene shows an officer advanc- However, “limited funding’’ - three per to a scientific study conducted in Rialto, ing through a locker room brandishing an cent of the federal cybersecurity budget - had California, where cameras were introduced in armed Taser. been earmarked to address cybercrime, the February 2012. Chief Mike Ewles says he is concerned RCMP notes say. Public complaints against officers by the video that was posted to YouTube on “There is a significant disparity between dropped by 88 per cent compared with the Wednesday and has launched an internal in- the criminal use of the Internet and information previous 12 months. The use of force by of- vestigation. technologies and the RCMP’s ability to keep ficers fell by 60 per cent. “One employee depicted is a supervi- pace through effective investigations, targeted Lafreniere said Montreal has been explor- sor and that’s even more troubling for me,’’ enforcement and other policing measures.’’ ing the possibility of using the cameras for a Ewles said Thursday, adding he was “disap- One complication is the “rising complex- year, and the major question now is whether pointed’’ on a number of levels. ity and volume of digital evidence’’ gener- its financially feasible. “I have no idea what the motivation for ated by such investigations, taxing Mountie “Buying a camera is just one part of the producing this video would be, but I believe resources. deal,’’ he said, explaining that processing and it is disrespectful to the hardworking men and Last year an internal audit of the RCMP’s storing such a massive amount of video could women of this branch and embarrassing for technological crime program found a backlog end up being far more costly. everyone here at the DRPS,’’ he said. of requests to analyze computing devices - “We have to deal with all the footage af- potentially vital pieces of evidence - at all five Jan 16 2014 terward, because it could be required to deal program units the reviewers visited. with complaints and in court.’’ OTTAWA - The RCMP commissioner There is also an increase in the use of has quietly warned Public Safety Min- technology by organized crime networks in ister Steven Blaney the government Canada, and a need for more broad-based na- must do more to fight cybercrime - an tional and international police co-operation to expanding threat the top Mountie says combat cybercrime through joint operations, is undermining the economy and put- the newly released notes say. ting Canadians at risk. Among the emerging RCMP concerns is ISSN 1704-3913 Copyright 2014 criminal exploitation of the growing popularity Blue Line Magazine Inc. & The Canadian Press of mobile smartphones, which sometimes place Permission to reprint may be obtained in advance from speed and convenience ahead of protective fire- Access Copyright Phone 1-800-893-5777 [email protected] walls, anti-virus software and encryption. The RCMP’s criminal intelligence pro- Published weekly by Blue Line Magazine, Inc. as an executive news briefing service to Canada’s top level law enforcement personnel. gram has warned that new criminal oppor- tunities will emerge as more people use the Most information supplied in this publication is from news- wire services. As such Blue Line Magazine does not ac- handy devices to make online payments. cept responsibility for the accuracy of articles as supplied. The newly released notes say the All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, RCMP identified elements that would bet- stored in an electronic database or transmitted in any form or by ter help it address cybercrime during a Pub- any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, with- out the prior permission of the publishers. One Year Subscriptions lic Safety-led “gap analysis’’ last March. It are $10500 (GST Included). Paid subscribers may make up to four In a letter to the minister, commissioner recommended: (4) copies of this publication for distribution within their organization. Bob Paulson notes one pillar of the govern- • Bringing new technical skills to high- Group Publisher: Morley S. Lymburner ment’s cybersecurity plan focuses on both priority investigations that affect national PUBLISHER: Kathryn M. Lymburner - [email protected] providing the public with information to pro- NEWS EDITOR: Mark Reesor - [email protected] security and economic integrity, including Subscriptions: Blue Line Store at www.BlueLine.ca tect themselves online and strengthening the threats from organized criminal networks; ADVERTISING: 1-888-640-3048 ability of law-enforcement agencies to fight 12A-4981 Hwy. 7 East, Ste. 254, Markham ON L3R 1N1 • Working with Internet service providers Phone: 905 640-3048 eMail: [email protected] cybercrime. to eliminate cybercrime websites and 2 email accounts linked to widespread on- Jan 16 2014 that’s how his coach officer, a police mentor, line offences; TORONTO - Toronto police have taught him.