Spaniard’s Bay considering dash cams for town vehicles

By Olivia Bradbury/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Town vehicles in Spaniard’s Bay are already equipped with global positioning systems, GPS, that allows managers to track their positions. Now council may look at adding dash cams to the vehicles as well.

The idea was presented at the February 25 council meeting by councillor Darlene Stamp, who said while she wasn’t prepared yet to make a motion calling for that move, she did want her colleagues to consider the pros and cons.

“I’ve done some preliminary work,” said Stamp. “You can get dash cams that are hardwired into vehicles, and that will be both the dash cam and the GPS built in.”

Stamp said the Town could install it in all of its vehicles, or just in some, such as the bigger trucks and loader. The dash cams could be used for security and improve driver safety, she suggested.

“If there’s any moose around those vehicles those cameras automatically kick in, so it’s the same as having a camera in your car,” said Stamp.

Stamp said dash cams could also help resolve incidents that occur in the community, giving the example of damage occurring during snow-clearing. If an incident occurred in the view of a dash cam, the town manager could review the footage.

Stamp said the Town pays for the GPS units through a subscription, and it would be advantageous if it could get both dash cams and GPS for the same cost. She asked her fellow council members if it was something they would like to consider.

“It’s a great asset for anywhere with fleet management to have those type of systems in your vehicle,” she said.

Mayor Paul Brazil noted the Town is subscribed to GPS through TELUS.

Stamp said she believes the company also offers a combination of GPS and dash cam. It was decided that Town staff will contact TELUS to inquire whether they offer a built-in dash cam, if it can be integrated with the GPS units Spaniard’s Bay already have, and what the price of it would be.