Have you ever gotten a parking ticket in Vancouver?
If you haven’t, and you drive, you might be in the minority. It’s easy to miss dates or misunderstand signage, and many drivers get slapped with hefty fines.
But not everyone receives a ticket with grace. In fact, many people do the complete opposite.
To prevent heated exchanges with the public, the City of Vancouver says it’s equipped all of its parking enforcement officers (PEOs) with body-worn cameras. The decision follows its six-month pilot, which the city says showed a “clear reduction in safety incidents with the public. ”
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What happens if an event is disputed between you and a parking officer?
Vancouver criminal lawyer Kyla Lee notes that the cameras rewind 30 seconds before activation to show events leading up to the incident.
“In a case where something happens that leads to an officer turning on their camera, the events that led up to that incident are preserved. That’s done both to address any issues about officers trying to hide their conduct, but also done in order to preserve evidence before that decision is actually made. There is a safeguard built into the programs that prevents that opportunity for abuse,” she says.
But in some instances, the recording may not go back far enough.
“They’re technically always recording, but they’re overwriting footage 30 seconds at a time, so you wouldn’t be able to go beyond 30 seconds,” Lee explains.
“If it were more than 30 seconds before activation, it would not be captured.”
If the instigation happened before the 30-second playback, that wouldn’t be shown. If the enforcement officer instigates before the rewind, then the footage would only support their side of the story, Lee says.