THUNDER BAY - A new video series produced by the Thunder Bay Police Service is offering a unique look behind the scenes of policing in the city and allowing the officers to share their experiences and stories in their own words.
“The body worn video and in car cameras capture not only really powerful evidence, they are a great tool for policing, but they also allow us through video production to take a look behind the scenes,” said Chris Adams, director of communication and technology with the Thunder Bay Police Service.
The first video in the Our Call series was released late last week and shared with members of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board on Tuesday.
Work on the video series began in the summer and uses footage captured by body worn and in-car cameras, as well as interviews with the responding officers.
“They can range from the very mundane interactions with the public to things that are very dramatic,” Adams said.
The first video in the series featured Const. Amanda Zappitelli, who responded to a call about a possible case of human trafficking.
After meeting with the girl, Zappitelli said she believed it was likely a case of human trafficking, but her hands were tied because the girl said she was okay, leaving her no grounds to intercede.
“It wasn’t a great call to be on in regards to the fact that I know she needed help but she was so intertwined in whatever business she was doing, she wasn’t in a position to feel safe enough to get the help she needed,” Zappitelli said in the video.
“She knows I want to help her because I was essentially begging her, let me take you and we will go somewhere and figure out a plan. But she just kept saying I’m safe for now. I’m safe for now.”
Zappitelli said it was a very difficult call to respond to and her heart was hurting for that young girl, so after completing her report and hoping to get her help with other services, she said needed a moment to collect her thoughts.
It was away from that scene when a family and little boy saw the police cruiser and struck up a conversation with Zappitelli, and she said it was like he knew she needed that kind of positive interaction as much as he did because he was fascinated by police.
“I want kids to see the uniform and know that people who wear them, they care,” Zappitelli said. “We don’t do this job for the money. The things that we see, the interactions we have, it’s not about the money. It’s about that one chance that maybe you are going to connect with somebody.”
Members of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board praised the video, saying it provides not only a glimpse into the work the officers do, but also how the types of calls they respond to can have an emotional toll.
“They are very compelling videos and I think they can be a really useful tool for the service, showing the human side of it,” said Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro.
Adams added that there could also be added benefit in pushing the videos out to other audiences at both a community level and beyond.
“I think even recruiting, it’s a great way of showing people policing as a career and how tough the job is but how rewarding it is,” he said. “The secret to the ongoing success of the series is our own members are really sharing in a profound way why they are in policing. We don’t really get a chance to do that with conventional media very often.”
The goal is to release a video in the Our Call series once a month.
