Meadow Lake RCMP Detachment (Elliott Knopp/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Elliott Knopp

Emergency Alert

Saskatchewan RCMP explain use of emergency alert in Meadow Lake

Mar 19, 2021 | 2:37 PM

After issuing an emergency alert to residents in the Meadow Lake area earlier this month, the Saskatchewan RCMP has explained why the measure was used and the effect the system has in active police situations.

On March 10, the Saskatchewan RCMP issued an emergency alert to the Meadow Lake area advising residents of an ongoing situation with a dangerous person loose in the community. That incident marked the first time the RCMP used the alert system to warn the community of a dangerous person. Within an hour of the alert being issued, the suspect involved in the incident was arrested.

In a press release, Meadow Lake Detachment Commander Sgt. Ryan How explains the risk to public safety in the small community became a significant concern, leading to the extraordinary measure being taken.

“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,” said How.

“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.”

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The system used to broadcast the message, transmits the advisory to cellphones, TVs and radios in a specific area, and is the same system used to assist with Amber Alert investigations.

In this situation when the alert was used, the alert triggered a response that allowed police to access a significant amount of RCMP resources in a short time period. With critical operation support from the Saskatchewan North District Management Team (NDMT), local authorities received assistance from the Meadow Lake Detachment Services Assistants, traffic services, police dog services, media relations, EMS, major crimes, forensics and the General Investigative Section.

Additional forces and departments were also prepared to get involved if necessary.

The alert also led to a surge of tips from members of the community. In almost a half hour, detachment support staff received 20 calls regarding the incident from people in and outside of Meadow Lake.

NDMT Inspector Murray Chamberlin stressed the value of tips from the community can play a significant factor in authorities locating a suspect.

“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,” Chamberlin shared. “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.”

“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.”

The Saskatchewan RCMP is currently looking into the situation and will have a debrief on the situation to analyze the effectiveness of some of the processes and determine if any changes need to be made.

Chamberlin stated while the situation is being reviewed, the positive news is that the system works when needed.

“Every situation is unique and the next time things may unfold very differently,” Chamberlin said. “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.”

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp