Ottawa residents can expect to see far more police officers wearing body cameras on the street, as the Ottawa Police Service expands the technology from a small pilot to hundreds of frontline and specialized officers.
Beginning this fall, the service will deploy 200 additional body-worn cameras to trained officers, with the rollout continuing through the end of 2026, according to an Ottawa Police Service news release issued Friday.
The expansion is a major step up from the initial pilot, which launched in November 2025 with 30 cameras assigned to Crisis Intervention Team members and select officers. The next phase was approved by the Ottawa Police Service Board in June 2026.
A further deployment of 650 cameras is planned through 2027, which would bring the total number of body-worn cameras in use across the city to 880. The service says it ultimately intends to equip all officers working in frontline roles.
What the cameras do
Police say the cameras give officers an additional tool to document interactions, capture evidence and support investigations, while also giving the public a clearer record of encounters with police. The service says they can support transparency, evidence collection, training and timely incident review, and can improve how digital evidence is collected and processed through tools such as transcription and translation.
Body-worn cameras are an important tool for both our officers and the communities we serve. They can help officers capture important evidence, provide added context during complex interactions, and give the public greater insight into how those interactions unfold. As we expand their use across the Service, we're giving our members another modern tool to support their work while continuing to strengthen confidence in the policing services we provide.
Chief Eric Stubbs said in the news release.
How the program works
Cameras will be handed out to selected officers as mandatory training and implementation are completed. Training covers the safe and lawful use of the technology, as well as how the cameras support transparency, accountability, investigations and complaint resolution, and includes practical scenario-based exercises.
The cameras are worn visibly on an officer's uniform but do not record continuously. Officers will activate them under service policy and training, including during designated calls for service, investigations and enforcement activities. Where practical and safe, officers will tell members of the public when a camera is recording.
The service says privacy protections are built into the program through policy, training, secure storage, access controls, audit processes, and established retention and disclosure requirements. Footage will be managed in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and evidence requirements.
Facial recognition technology is not part of the program and will not be used through the cameras or related systems, the release states.
The service says anyone wanting to learn more about the cameras, including answers to frequently asked questions, can visit ottawapolice.ca. Residents can also view and download police data through the Community Safety Data portal at data.ottawapolice.ca, and can register their own security camera locations at CAMSafe.ca to support investigations.
