This week marked a big step forward for the Waterloo regional police service’s CCTV camera initiative, with the region itself, along with Kitchener and Cambridge, signing on to the plan.
The proposal involves setting up 52 cameras at 10 spots throughout the area to add more surveillance support for investigations.
These cameras won’t be monitored live; instead, footage will only be reviewed later if needed for an investigation. Any video that isn’t used will get deleted after 30 days.
“There will be no traffic enforcement, there will be no live-monitoring, there will be no bylaw enforcement. This is essentially to create a network of strategically-placed cameras around the region, driven by data,” said Police Chief Mark Crowell.
The regional police already have agreements with the City of Waterloo and Township of North Dumfries; meanwhile, Wilmot Township council chose to delay signing anything with the police service for now.
At a council meeting Monday, City of Kitchener approved partnering with Waterloo Regional Police Service to allow them access to city infrastructure.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic and three councillors opposed it over privacy worries.
“I was born in a country where that lack of privacy existed,” said Vrbanovic. “I’ve also visited countries in Asia where cameras are being used and have crossed that line.”
A committee from the Region of Waterloo also gave green light to join the CCTV program.
“Don’t do anything that would jeopardize you by being seen by one of these cameras and there won’t be any concerns about privacy,” said Councillor Jim Erb.
Cambridge’s city officials issued a statement Tuesday confirming their intent to cooperate with police on this CCTV project.
“These agreements reflect our commitment to keeping Cambridge a safe community for residents and visitors to enjoy, while working collaboratively with our partners at WRPS,” said Mayor Jan Liggett. “They are part of our ongoing efforts to improve how we work together to respond to issues in the community while ensuring privacy, accountability and public trust remain a priority.”
Even though deals are set up already, officers haven’t put up any cameras in Waterloo yet as they’re still ironing out “agreements with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach,” according to Inspector Jarrett Brown from Innovation and Modernization division.
