Nova Scotia Shooting Incident – Emergency Alert
Date: April 27, 2020
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Branch/Agency: RCMP
Issue:
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is facing criticism for not issuing an alert using the provincially administered emergency alert system in the duration of the recent shooting incidents in Nova Scotia.
Proposed Response:
- Senseless violence perpetrated in Nova Scotia has resulted in injuries and a tragic loss of lives, including the death in the line of duty of a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—Constable Heidi Stevenson.
- In relation to public notification during such incidents, there are tools available to police to inform the public in dynamic and rapidly evolving situations, such as an active shooter. Many considerations go into the decision to use a particular tool for any particular incident.
- RCMP use of social media, such as Twitter, has been shown to be an effective communication tool during active shooter situations, such as those that occurred during the tragic 2014 shootings in Moncton, New Brunswick.
- When incidents such as the recent tragedy unfold, it is of utmost importance that 9-1-1 operators are focussed on calls related to the unfolding events, to inform the law enforcement response.
- Social media may be the most effective tool in dynamic incidents to inform the media and maintain 9-1-1 dispatch’s focus on event-related phone calls.
- I would like to thank all first responders for their service in relation to these challenging events, as well as all those assisting with the investigation and recovery.
- Our thoughts remain with the victims and all those impacted by this senseless tragedy.
- Public and officer safety remain top priorities for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Background:
Throughout the evening of Saturday, April 18, 2020, and into the early morning hours Sunday, April 19, 2020, the RCMP established and maintained a significant presence in the Portapique area in response to the active threat. The response centered on protecting the public, which included providing up-to-the-minute information on Twitter. Once RCMP members responding to the possible shooting in Portapique determined the incident to be a homicide, the RCMP issued a public instruction on Twitter. RCMP Tweets were picked up by several broadcasters and re-broadcast, including on television networks. The public was advised that the RCMP was aware of a firearms complaint in the area and advised the public to stay inside. During this time, police discovered additional victims and several structure fires. A complete search of the area remained underway throughout the evening and into the morning hours and the suspect was not located.
Early in the morning on Sunday, April 19, the RCMP began providing real-time information on its Nova Scotia RCMP Twitter account. While doing so, confirmation was obtained about who the suspect was and at 9:35 a.m., police received a call about a possible female victim on Highway 4 in Wentworth. Throughout this time, the RCMP was able to broadcast photos of the suspect, the suspect’s vehicle, locations and sightings. Twitter allowed the information to be shared, followed and broadcast by local, provincial and national news outlets.
Although reported earlier as 10:15 a.m, on April 19, 2020, the RCMP has now determined after further inquiry that at approximately 11:15 a.m., Nova Scotia Provincial Emergency Management officials contacted the RCMP to offer the use of the public emergency alerting system, known as the Alert Ready System. The RCMP accepted and was in the process of preparing an alert message when the gunman was shot and killed by the RCMP [Redacted], at [Redacted].
This incident was dynamic and fluid. The RCMP has highly trained and capable Critical Incident Command staff, who were on site beginning in Portapique and throughout the events above. The Operational Communications Centre (OCC) operators assisting the response and police presence were significant. The members who responded used their training and made difficult decisions while encountering the unimaginable. Collectively, RCMP employees had one objective and that was to protect Nova Scotians and each other by stopping the threat.
Use of Alert Ready Notification – April 24, 2020
On April 24, 2020, RCMP members of the Halifax District responded to an unrelated potential active shooter situation. Given the specific circumstances (i.e. potential for copy-cat incident following the first shootings, heightened sensitivity to active shooter situations), at 4:03 p.m., an alert message was sent out from the Province of Nova Scotia’s Alert Ready System, to warn the public of the potential active shooter situation. Once the situation was determined to be under control by RCMP, at 5:53 p.m. a second alert message was sent to advise the public there was no longer a threat.
This alert message resulted in a large influx of 9-1-1 calls, significantly increasing the call burden on RCMP telecommunications operators. These operators function within the confines of levels of resources and infrastructure made available by the Province of Nova Scotia. Following the high volume of calls generated from this alert message, it can be surmised with high likelihood that a high volume of 9-1-1 calls would also have been generated were an active shooter alert ready message issued for the prior tragic shooting incidents.
In the short term, immediate steps have been taken at the OCC to increase the number of call takers to support what is expected to be an increase in firearms related calls i.e., active shooters and shots fired complaints. A review of the OCC infrastructure and protocols related to managing calls after an Alert Ready System message issuance is ongoing. Potential challenges facing the OCC in the interim include limited infrastructure in the OCC, ongoing COVID-19 physical distancing issues, OCC operators being off duty due the April 18/19, 2020, shooting incident, and difficulties bringing in additional resources from other divisions due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The use of social media platforms (Twitter/Facebook) for sending alert messages does allow the public to be notified and respond accordingly without having to call the OCC. As outlined in the McNeil Report following the shootings in Moncton in 2014:
It is recognized that social media (Twitter and Facebook) is being utilized by RCMP Communications sections on a regular basis. In this case it was extremely valuable when used in conjunction with news releases, news conferences and media availabilities as ways to communicate directly to the public. It helped build credibility and maintained the organization’s reputation as an accurate and authoritative source for information during this crisis.
The Report also indicates the following:
Having a continuous presence on social media during this crisis ensured accurate information was disseminated in a timely manner so as to counter any rumours or misinformation. It also acted as a calming tool, so that the heightened fear in the community did not escalate and affect public safety and security. Providing messages with a “call to action” that asked the public to engage allowed them to participate without interfering with police operations and did not leave them wondering what they could do.
H Division RCMP are in direct contact with RCMP National Headquarters to develop policy and procedures for using this system. Steps have also been taken to notify other Canadian police services to examine their 9-1-1 response capacity during an emergency alert.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Dustine Rodier, OIC H Division Operational Support and OCC, H Division, RCMP; 902-402-8635; Konrad Roberts, C&IP Strategic Policy, RCMP; 343-542 2628
Approved by: Brian Brennan, Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing, RCMP; 613-843-4632.
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