Happy Valley-Goose Bay backs down on body cams less than a week after approving them

Just a week after approving body cameras for its municipal enforcement officers, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is backing down andkeeping quiet on why.

On Wednesday,the day municipal enforcement officers were supposed to be outfitted with the devices,the town announced on Facebook it has suspended its plans to do so.

"The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay would like to advise residents that plans to implement body cameras on Municipal Enforcement Officers will be deferred until further notice," reads the notice in its entirety. No reason was given for the decision..

Mayor Wally Andersen would only say the town is doing more research.

"When we got our research done we'll make the announcement," he told CBC News late Wednesday.

When the town announced the plan last week, Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey said his officehadn't been notified.

Harvey told CBC News at the time that the concern with body cameras is the devices collect a great deal of personal information not onlyabout the person being recorded, but also the person wearing it and anybody else in the vicinity.

"When a public body collects personal information, they need to do it in the minimum extent possible," Harvey told CBC News last week.

When asked on Wednesday what happened during his discussions with the townHarveydidn't have much to say.

"To date discussions with the town have been informal and positive," he told CBC News.

Only a handful of police agencies in Canada utilize body cameras. Police in Montreal found them to ineffectual after its pilot run, while police in Calgary found them to be a useful tool.

In 2015 the federal privacy commissioner's office said body cameras pose serious implications for individuals' rights to privacy.

The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay said in late February news release the use of body camerasby law enforcement was to protect both officers and the general publicand "ensures transparency."

The town said the cost would be $500 to outfit two municipal constables and one animal control officer.

Read morefrom CBC Newfoundland and Labrador