Windsor police testing microphones on their uniforms and cameras in their cruisers

Starting next week, 26 Windsor police officers will wearmicrophones on their uniforms and havecameras on the dashboards of their cruisers.

The pilot program will run until early September.

"To better protect officers and foster greater public trust," police said in a statement.

Police say the cameras arealso meant to improve evidence gathering and offer more transparency and accountability "by providing an unbiased account of events."

The microphones and camera will automatically start recording when officers respond to emergency calls and during traffic stops. They can also be activated manually if needed.

Both devices will flash red when recording, according to police.

The information collected through the pilot program will be used to determine the viability of deploying these devices service-wide.

Gary Francouer with Windsor police says the project is funded from a provincial grant announcedin Nov. 2022 which totalled nearly $1.5 million and also included money to "fight crime," including auto theft.

Windsor police union applauds project

The president of the Windsor Police Association is expressing his support for the deployment of the devices.

Kent Rice says he's hopeful once the pilot's time frame is up it will lead to "further adoption" of the recorders for all Windsor police members who interact with the public.

"Our members responded to almost 150,000 calls for service in 2023 in addition to countless other interactions with the community on a daily basis," said Rice.

"This technology will provide an objective record of these police-public interactions, which can be crucial in investigations and legal proceedings."

According to Rice, he says devices like this can also deter unprofessional behaviour by both officers and civilians leading to fewer complaints and incidents of misconduct.