The new President of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association supports greater use of body cams for officers to help document interactions and ensure transparency and accountability.
Constable Shane McClafferty says officers are seeing a greater degree of violence and unpredictable behaviour, while at the same time feeling the weight of public scrutiny and social media.
He says body cams can help record interactions to help protect officers and the public.
McClafferty says the RNCA would be supportive of body cams for transparency and to allow the public to see what officers are facing on a regular basis.
“Things happen very, very quickly,” says McClafferty. “Obviously, to be able (to record that) would enable everyone to see a full, transparent picture of what our members are going through on a daily basis….the violence we’re facing and very unpredictable situations.”
