In an effort to remain transparent, Waterloo Region Police Service (WRPS) will be hosting several public information sessions ahead of the installation of new closed-circuit television (CCTV) and automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology.
WRPS plan to use new CCTV equipped with ALPR systems to help prevent and investigate crime.
In a release, the force said the systems will be deployed in strategic locations that will be determined by “statistical analysis conducted by the WRPS Crime Analysis Unit.” The release goes on to say, “A complete list of deployment sites will be made publicly available on the WRPS website prior to the project launch.”
WRPS has included measures to ensure the footage and any associated data can only be used in a police capacity. Officers requesting any data will have to establish reasonable grounds in accordance with legal requirements.
Four information sessions have been scheduled. One each in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. The fourth session is online.
Anyone planning on attending the sessions in November will have to register ahead of time.
The first session is November 11 in Cambridge.
Police say the new devices will be installed either in next couple of months or early 2026 and promise more information about the systems prior to the launch.
