Brother of officer killed on duty says body cameras helped in case
Posted Dec 9, 2021 2:27 pm.
After many years of public debate and research on police-worn body cameras, Jason Harnett is bringing forward a new reason in support of the devices: they helped solve his brother’s murder.
Sgt. Andrew Harnett was killed last New Year’s Eve while making a traffic stop in northeast Calgary.
In court, media watched the bodycam footage of Harnett’s final moments. Between the footage from the three officers at the scene, the viewer is able to identify two of the three suspects in the car. The footage also shows evidence of Harnett being dragged by the car, while the passenger at times takes the wheel.
That passenger pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday.
READ MORE: Passenger pleads guilty to manslaughter in hit-and-run death of Calgary officer
“In this case, bodycam footage, without it, we may not have even had a trial, we may not have had defendants. I may not have been here today to have some sense of closure, and that’s still yet to come,” Jason said in the courthouse lobby Wednesday afternoon.
“I think Andrew has led to helping to solve his own murder. And I think it will help assist in the next trial going forward.”
The driver of the vehicle is scheduled for trial next month. The judge’s decision on the passenger’s sentence is also set to come down in January.
In the meantime, Harnett is hoping more police services implement body camera technology. Calgary’s officers have worn them since 2019.
Toronto Police Service also has a body camera program.
In Vancouver, 10 officers added them to their gear Wednesday for a trial period. Montreal is also running a pilot program with the cameras.
The police services in Ottawa, Edmonton, and Winnipeg currently do not use body cams.
“Any police service or law enforcement considering the use of body cam footage should look at this and say it’s peace of mind for not only the officer and the families, but peace of mind for the public,” Jason said.
Retired RCMP Staff Sergeant Alain Babineau agrees.
“It’s a win-win scenario for both the community and the police,” he said.
He sees it as an ability to get a truer picture of what happened in a given interaction, to combat any falsehoods given by either side.
He says the cams need to be implemented effectively, without the ability for officers to turn them off and with proper data management.
