RCMP National Body-worn Camera (BWC) Program and Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS)

This is an independent cost estimate of a budgetary measure contained in the federal government’s Fall Economic Statement 2020 (FES 2020). A list of the PBO’s cost estimates of components of the FES 2020 can be viewed on its website.

Introducing a National Body-worn Camera (BWC) Program for the RCMP’s front-line police officers and a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) to store and manage camera footage.

Base costs for the BWC-DEMS solution were determined using contract and projected cost data from the Toronto Police Service (TPS) for its BWC-DEMS solution. These costs were then classified on a per-subscription, per-detachment, or per-contract basis. Using information provided in conversations with RCMP officials, PBO estimated the RCMP will purchase 12,500 BWC-DEMS subscriptions for deployment in its approximately 700 detachments.

PBO applied several transformations to the TPS’ costing data to account for the RCMP’s size and specific procurement requirements. Base costs were scaled in proportion to the number of RCMP BWC-DEMS subscriptions and detachments. Base costs were also increased to reflect price inflation between the start dates of the TPS and RCMP contracts. One-time costs that the TPS paid upfront were distributed evenly throughout the RCMP’s initial contract period. Costs for staff that the TPS hired in-house were assumed to be outsourced by the RCMP and marked up by an estimated operating profit margin for BWC-DEMS service providers.

Total costs were reduced in the first fiscal year of the program to reflect the targeted May 2021 contract start date and subsequent phased national roll-out of the BWC-DEMS solution. Total costs were also reduced, starting in 2024-25 and in line with the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, by the percentage of program costs to be recovered through Police Service Agreements with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.

The modelling approach implicitly assumes the RCMP’s product and service specifications for its BWC-DEMS solution are similar to those of the TPS; any discrepancy in product and service specifications between the RCMP and the TPS could impact the cost estimate. Even with the same specifications, the RCMP’s per-subscription, per-detachment, and per-contract costs may differ, notably due to the potentially higher costs to implement the solution in rural and remote detachments, the multi-jurisdictional nature of the RCMP, and the RCMP’s ability to negotiate a reduction in the list price of its BWC-DEMS subscriptions.  

There is also uncertainty regarding the number of BWC-DEMS subscriptions the RCMP will purchase. For this variable, PBO applied the mid-point of a moderate range of estimates provided by the RCMP. As indicated by the range, the ultimate number of subscriptions purchased may be higher or lower than PBO’s estimate. 

PBO approximated statistics pertaining to BWC-DEMS service providers (i.e., price inflation, operating profit margin) with corresponding statistics for the larger “data processing, hosting, and related services” product and industry classification codes. The possibility of different results for BWC-DEMS service providers is a minor source of uncertainty.

Procurement costs and the number of necessary BWC-DEMS subscriptions are not sensitive to uncertainty in the economic outlook.

Behavioural responses that impact program costs are not expected. Potential impacts of the BWC-DEMS solution on other RCMP activities, such as more streamlined investigations, the elimination of redundant digital evidence capabilities, and more requests for videos and complaints by the public, may have fiscal impacts but were not included in this cost estimate.

• Estimates are presented on an accruals basis as would appear in the budget and public accounts.
• Positive numbers subtract from the budgetary balance, negative numbers contribute to the budget balance.
• “-“ = PBO does not expect a financial cost.
• Numbers may not add due to rounding.