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Government lawyers said there was little chance of a conviction.

Photo by Larry MacDougal / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Heffernan noted the force has been working on employing body cameras for the past three years.

“Wouldn’t they have figured out what the best unit is by now,” he said, adding the force doesn’t want a proper light shone on its practices.

“It’s the only way there’ll be any accountability.”

But Coun. Ward Sutherland, a member of the Calgary police commission, dismissed Heffernan’s accusations as utter nonsense.

The force was acting in good faith when it ordered the body camera units from Utah-based supplier Safety Innovations, only to discover the device that worked well in initial testing didn’t perform correctly, he said.

“From my understanding, the supplier of the camera changed how they manufactured them, contributing to all these failures which were not occurring before,” said Sutherland.

“It’s very disappointing and the police are just as mad as anyone about it.”

Photo by Submitted / Calgary Herald

He said officers have told him they’re eager to take possession of the units, partly to strengthen public confidence in the force but also to prevent suspects from filing bogus complaints against officers.

“These people are constantly making complaints against police … we’re hoping it’ll save us significant court time,” said Sutherland.

He also said the force is attempting to reclaim $1.3 million that was part of a three-year contract with the supplier.

Last February, Postmedia reported the failures in the units occurred in the microphone component which caused interference for the entire police network.

The Calgary Police Service would have been the first force in Canada to use body-worn cameras.

Sutherland said he’ll be seeking more answers about the failed procurement at next Tuesday’s Calgary police commission public meeting, including how much longer the force expects to wait for body cameras.

“The sooner we can get the cameras, the better,” he said.

But Sutherland said a range of protocols for using the devices has been completed, meaning “a lot of heavy lifting’s been done” on the project.

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

on Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn