On March 10 a dangerous person emergency alert was issued by the Saskatchewan RCMP in relation to an incident that unfolded in the Meadow Lake RCMP Detachment area. We understand the public's interest in learning specific details about this investigation and because charges have been laid, these details will now be learned as part of the court process.
Why an emergency alert?
The Saskatchewan RCMP has used the emergency alerting system in past years, specifically in conjunction with Amber Alert investigations. March 10, 2021 was the first time a critical broadcast immediate (an alert sent to the public's cellular device and broadcast) dangerous person emergency alert was issued in the province.
"I would want to tell the public that in this situation, the reason the emergency alert was sent out, was due to the specific circumstances we were presented with, which will be revealed through court," shared S/Sgt. Ryan How, Meadow Lake Detachment Commander, eager to provide some clarity to questions he's heard from the community.
"Every call, every situation our officers attend, is unique. It just so happened that in this situation the circumstances aligned in such a way that it was important to notify the public in the way we did. Public safety was critical: the information we had at the time was that one individual was seriously injured and we wanted to prevent any further injuries to anyone else," S/Sgt. How added.
The initial call for service came in to Meadow Lake RCMP and four Meadow Lake/Green Lake RCMP officers attended, quickly followed by officers from Pierceland and Loon Lake RCMP Detachments.
Supporting Operations
The list of supports is long. In addition to police officers from the detachments above, assisting were:
- Meadow Lake Detachment Services Assistants,
- our Divisional Operational Communications Centre (DOCC) and Member Operational Support Section (MOSS),
- RCMP Traffic Services,
- RCMP Police Dog Services,
- RCMP Media Relations
- partners at Emergency Medical Services
and in the time following the arrest,
- RCMP Major Crimes Unit North,
- RCMP Forensic Identification Section,
- RCMP General Investigative Section.
In addition, units such as the RCMP Emergency Response Team, RCMP and Saskatoon Air Services and Ministry of Environment Conservation Officers (as part of the Provincial Protection and Response Team) were also preparing to assist.
"It's a partnership. Between everyone responding, between employees at other RCMP detachments and units helping us access the assistance we need and preparing to deploy or offering insight via telephone – in this case without us even asking. It's that background work that no one sees, but is critical to helping keep the public and our officers safe, especially during a very dynamic situation," explains S/Sgt. How.
Saskatchewan RCMP North District Management Team (NDMT) was providing critical operational support from Prince Albert. "There were four of us at the NDMT office taking on different roles and tasks," says Insp. Murray Chamberlin, Acting Officer in Charge of North District. "We have the ability to mobilize a lot of resources in a very short period of time, from all across the province. We were in contact with Saskatchewan RCMP Headquarters in Regina working with our Criminal Operations office, the detachment directly and everything in between."
Contacting Community Partners
"From a NDMT perspective, in circumstances like this, we are working to coordinate the background events, hoping to ease pressure on the detachment commander as best we can, as they are managing a very fluid operational situation," says Insp. Chamberlin. "We are speaking with RCMP media relations, different air services, advising logging companies in the vicinity so they can get word out and getting in contact with community partners identified by the detachment. Due to the proximity to Alberta, the RCMP was engaged there as well, to ensure police officers in nearby communities were aware in case the situation breached the border."
"We want to ensure our mayor, surrounding rural municipalities, school districts, the hospital and fire department are aware of the circumstances," shares S/Sgt. How, "Potentially they could become involved. Others we may simply want to give that head's up because they may also receive an influx of calls about what is happening, or why the police presence is what it is."
Tips from the public
When the emergency alert was sent, within two minutes both Meadow Lake RCMP and our DOCC were receiving calls from members of the public with tips. In just under thirty minutes, four detachment support staff received 20 calls in relation to this investigation. Calls came from a large surrounding area, both outside and within the community of Meadow Lake.
"I want the public to know we appreciate every one of those tips received. Taking the time to call the police to relay the information you had – thank you," shares Insp. Chamberlin. "We're seeking that one key detail and you don't know when it will come in. Thank you to the public for taking the time to pick up the phone."
"I've been lucky enough to see the impact of the detachment support staff work during my policing career. They make sure a detachment is running smoothly. In a situation like this, they're feeding accurate information to responding officers, they are guiding us through streets and back roads. They are our connection to the community - they know the nicknames for back roads and so on. I can't stress enough how important their support is," says S/Sgt. How.
"Everything from providing our RCMP Media Relations team information to send out the emergency alert to giving information to officers on the ground, the detachment support personnel were critical," adds Insp. Chamberlin. "NDMT was monitoring the radio channel. There was a flood of information being shared. More than once all support staff were on the phone at once with different callers and members of the public, getting different tips and cataloguing the information. Plus, it's still a regular day at the detachment and people are coming in for things like Criminal Record Checks or for unrelated complaints."
"37 minutes: this was the time between when the emergency alert was received in our area and the arrest in the community of Meadow Lake," says S/Sgt. How. "When you're in the moment, as a police officer and surely for others as well, you're thinking about how the situation might resolve and every circumstance runs through your mind. Without a doubt, it was the emergency alert that resulted in us locating the suspect. Thankfully our responding officers arrested the individual without incident."
The work of responding officers
"During and after this situation, we remember that someone was seriously injured. Our thoughts are with him and his family," stresses S/Sgt. How. "We want to thank our partners and the public for sharing information so quickly with us. For following any instructions provided. For our partners for providing feedback and being willing to help. Its that collaboration between us and our communities that is so important, especially during critical incidents."
"When a situation is active, one thing can happen that changes the entire situation," says Insp. Chamberlin. "It can change an approach; it can change safety. You also don't know how long a situation may go on for. The officers involved did an excellent job of gathering evidence, doing what they are trained to do. Because circumstances are very fluid, you have to be prepared for anything and everything. On top of this, we need to be alive to the fact that this isn't the only call for service Saskatchewan RCMP officers are responding to in that moment."
"It's quick reaction and relying on your training," adds S/Sgt. How. "Police officers assessed the situation and followed protocols, which included setting up perimeters and monitoring community entries and exits. Our officers stayed calm and did exactly what they needed to do. There were no further injuries. At the end of the day, our staff went home safe to their families as well. For that I am very thankful and proud."
What happens now
Continuously learning is a priority for the Saskatchewan RCMP. This includes mandatory post-event debriefs are held in the weeks following major incidents.
"Our detachment will participate in a debrief in the coming weeks," says S/Sgt. How. "But when we have the opportunity to debrief, we'll analyze and assess what happened, what worked well and identify what, if anything, we could do differently and improve or change our processes for the future. It's important for me to mention the support provided to our detachment by the local RCMP Chaplain. He's always involved, he's a support for our detachment employees. He came in simply to check on us. We do our best to support one another."
"Every situation is unique and the next time things may unfold very differently," closes Insp. Chamberlin. "If nothing else, in this specific situation, we can say the emergency alert and working together as an organization and with our communities worked. We're very thankful for that."