A petition has been launched that urges all Abbotsford Police Department officers to wear and turn on body cameras.
The petition started one week ago and has collected over 300 signatures.
It is directed to both the APD and Chief Mike Serr, and the organizer stated that in light of all the recent incidents of police brutality this should be mandatory in Abbotsford.
“In light of George Floyd’s untimely demise at the hands of police officers who compressed his windpipe effectively murdering him, there is a great need for the Abbotsford community to ensure that justice is served and that all citizens are treated fairly,” the petition reads.
“This petition is to allow the public to raise their voices to show the APD and Police Chief Mike Serr that we will not allow innocent lives to be harmed by the ones who have vowed to protect us and uphold the law. We will no allow body cams to be considered an insignificant or too expensive of a measure for the fifth time.”
A recent story by The News revealed that the APD shelved plans to buy body cameras for patrol officers sometime between last spring and this February.
Serr confirmed that the department backed off buying the body cameras earlier this month, stating that there were privacy concerns and the cost to store footage as two big factors in the decision.
“It has been taken off our plans for now,” he said.
RELATED: Body cameras in, then out, of Abbotsford Police budget
The petition can be found at change.org/p/abbotsford-police-department-require-all-abbotsford-police-officers-to-wear-turn-on-body-cams.
