When Damian Hughes, Youth Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club in Toronto, was growing up, it was rare to know and build relationships with police officers. Today, it’s much different.
Toronto Police Service recently launched a pilot program called Project Magnify, in which they use wearable lighting to make officers more visible and welcoming to the community.
“With these officers having these flashing lights on their chests and going around the community and walking through, it shows they want to help us be safe, get in to see your community officers daily and get to know them,” Hughes said. “It’s a great thing. … Now you get to know all the officers because they will come up to you and have a conversation.”
For the project, TPS supplied Guardian Angel Elite Series wearable lights that officers can use to make it easy for community members to identify them. It lets people know they are present and engaged in the community – even when their isn’t a “police response”.
“Project Magnify is all about increasing our visibility in our communities and magnifying our presence,” said Steve Campbell, an inspector with the Toronto Police Service. “We’re doing this through the alternate use of our light bars on our squad cars as well as through our Guardian Angel lights.”