Some Winnipeg police (WPS) officers will soon be wearing body cameras as way to help with investigations and improve transparency.

At the WPS board meeting Friday, police chief Gene Bowers said 40 officers will be equipped with body cameras in June.

“It’s about accountability and transparency,” Bowers said.

“From Winnipeg police service standpoint, anytime there is a critical incident that occurs, the first thing we are looking for is video,” Bowers explained. “So, I think it’s incumbent on us to provide that video.”

WPS didn’t provide any timeline or a price tag for equipping the whole force with body cameras.

The pilot project is not expected to cost taxpayers anything as the vendor agreed for a free trial.

“(The price) is within reach,” Bowers said, adding that WPS will continue discussions with the board and the City for funding full deployment.

Winnipeg police board meeting on March 6, 2026 (CityNews)

Coleen Mayer, chair of the WPS board, welcomed the pilot project.

“It would allow for better reporting and understanding of what happened on (the) events,” Mayer said.

Brandon Trask, law professor at the University of Manitoba, the project was well overdue.

“I think it’s a good move with the body cam pilot,” Trask said.  “Overall, Winnipeg is really playing catch up relative to a number of other police services across the country.”

Trask said WPS should also put in place additional security measures to ensure the body cam videos are trustworthy.

“You also want to make sure that there’s no chance for data to be manipulated, especially in an era of ai deep fakes, and we need to have faith in the fact that the recordings are not being toyed with afterwards,” Trask said.

At Friday’s meeting, Bowers also shared the department’s fourth quarter financial report for 2025.

He said that rapid response teams will be deployed for retail theft and special events.

According to WPS data, officers were deployed in 196 major public events, protests and demonstrations.

The financial report showed $2.1 million under budget for overtime expenses during 2025. By contrast, WPS was $800,000 over budget for overtime expenses in 2024.

WPS said the drop in the number of homicides was the main reason for the drop.

The next public meeting of the board is scheduled for June 2026.