Montreal’s municipal government announced on Sunday that it has set aside $40 million to equip the city’s police force with body‑worn cameras. The funding will cover the purchase and installation of the devices for officers across the jurisdiction.
The allocation, made public at 08:00 GMT on June 28, is part of a broader equipment program aimed at updating police tools. The $40 million budget is intended to finance both the hardware and the associated infrastructure needed to store and manage the video footage.
City officials said the cameras will be mounted on officers’ uniforms and will record interactions with the public, providing a visual record that can be reviewed in investigations or complaints. The program does not specify a rollout schedule, but the funding earmark indicates that deployment is expected to begin in the coming months.
The initiative reflects the city’s commitment to modernising its policing resources. By allocating a dedicated budget, Montreal joins other jurisdictions that have invested in body‑camera technology as a standard piece of police equipment.
The $40 million set aside will be drawn from the city’s general budget for the fiscal year, according to municipal financial plans released earlier this week. The allocation does not include additional operational costs such as training or maintenance, which will be addressed separately.
Police officials anticipate that the cameras will create a recorded account of police‑public encounters, which can be accessed by investigators when reviewing incidents. The visual evidence is intended to support transparency and accountability, though the city has not released metrics on expected usage.
Implementation is slated to start after procurement procedures are completed, with installation expected to roll out across precincts over the next several quarters.