When Sault Ste. Marie Police Service introduced in-car cameras in Oct. 2024, it stated: “The in-car camera system is a tool to enhance trust and to help us demonstrate professionalism, accountability and transparency.”
It turns out the cameras have another use.
Local police have found they are also a handy way to catch drivers with expired licence plates.
Ward 1 Coun. Sandra Hollingsworth made the disclosure during a Monday-night discussion about a draft 2026 city budget at city council.
Hollingsworth is a member of the Sault’s traffic speed task force, set up in 2022. Other members include representatives from Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, as well as the city’s public works and engineering services division.
“I and several of us sit on the speed task force,” Hollingsworth said. “We have the privilege of having two officers come to our meetings, and they talk about the cameras on their cars, and it helps to look at expired tags. From the expired tags, they’re able to pull individuals over and sometimes it leads to more crime resolutions.”
Each city police patrol car has an interior-facing camera that records occupants in the back seat, as well as a front-facing dash camera.
Hugh Stevenson, then the city’s chief of police, said at the time the cameras would “ensure unbiased documentation of police interactions, enhancing the safety of both our officers and community members.”
“The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service ensures the use of this technology respects individuals’ privacy and adheres to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” a police social media statement said. “The collection, retention, use, and disclosure of personal information will comply with municipal freedom of information and privacy protection legislation.”
The in-cruiser camera systems are part of the city’s digital evidence management system (DEMS) unit. DEMS manages and redacts digital evidence collected for investigations and helps prepare it for court proceedings.
Nuala Kenny, chair of the local police board, told this week’s city council meeting that growing use of technology has resulted in a flood of data and digital evidence, requiring two additional DEMS staff next year to handle the added workload.
“As the service continues to adopt new technology, the amount of digital evidence that we collect has grown exponentially,” Kenny said. “On any day our police generate about 200 or 300 new videos. We don’t want to collect this data and say, ‘I don’t know. It’s in a box over there.’ It has to be processed and ready for the Crown. Some cases it’s just a civilian who wants a copy. In other cases it’s to improve operations.”
The 2026 budget introduced by Kenny included an 11 per cent hike, adding roughly $4.3 million to the municipal levy. The city has little or no say over the budgets of city police and other local and levy boards, and generally must add any increases to the municipal levy.