Montreal police announced that all officers will be issued body‑worn cameras that cannot be switched off at the officer’s discretion. The move, disclosed by Fady Dagher of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, includes a commitment to make the recordings publicly available. The policy takes effect immediately and applies to every uniformed member of the force throughout the city.
Under the new directive, each camera will remain active for the entirety of an officer’s shift, capturing all interactions with the public. The equipment is designed to prevent manual deactivation, ensuring that no segment of an encounter can be omitted from the recorded footage. Officers will be required to wear the devices continuously while on duty, and the recordings will be stored in a secure system managed by the police department.
The stated aim of the initiative is to provide total transparency and to give the community direct access to video evidence of police activity. By guaranteeing that footage is captured in full and released to the public, the department seeks to build confidence in its operations and to allow independent review of incidents involving law enforcement.
The policy was introduced by the police chief during a press briefing in Montreal, emphasizing the force’s intention to increase openness and accountability. The announcement aligns with broader efforts to modernize policing practices in Quebec, and the department has pledged to follow through on the public‑release promise as part of its ongoing transparency strategy.