Toronto Police Could Be Forced To Wear Body Cams By The End Of The Summer

A big change is coming to Toronto police services. Mayor John Tory revealed on June 8 that the city's police officers could all be wearing body cameras before the end of the summer. The sweeping initiative comes after a massive crowd of demonstrators took to the streets over the weekend to protest against anti-black racism.

Tory told CP24 on Monday morning that the issue of body-worn cameras will be discussed at next month's Toronto Police Service Board meeting.

If a motion is approved, some officers could be wearing cameras with a month or two.

According to The Toronto Sun, the mayor had previously cautioned last Friday that Toronto police would not use body cameras until the fall.

"I think there is a real ambition on the part of the chief and the police services board, subject to this discussion in July, to get them on to lapels as it were in late summer," Tory said while discussing the logistics of the issue.

"We've been going through the acquisition or the purpose process," he said. "It may not be that it will happen... all at once, he added.

Tory's remarks come on the heels of several peaceful anti-racism protests which took place in the city over the weekend.

A massive Toronto protest on June 5 saw hundreds of demonstrators chanting "I can't breathe" in Nathan Philips Square.

The chant echoes the words of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police has sparked worldwide protests against police brutality.

The powerful moment was one of many to filmed during the massive demonstrations.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders was also spotted taking a knee in solidarity with protesters during Friday's march.

"We are going to set the standard in Toronto for making sure that racism becomes a thing of the past, and that's a big challenge. But I think it is one we can take on, and I think our values suggest we need to take it on even more aggressively and energetically than we have," Tory has stated.

According to CP24, Tory declared on Sunday that the widespread activism was causing city officials to "work harder" to curb racism in Toronto.