Nova Scotia Shooting Incident – Emergency Alert

Date: May 4, 2020

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Branch/Agency: RCMP-GRC

Issue:

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is considering the development of a national policy for all police-related public Alerts.

Proposed Response:

Background:

In March 2015, the National Public Alerting System (known as ‘Alert Ready’) was mandated by the CRTC. It is a collaborative initiative between Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) governments providing emergency management organizations the capability to warn the public. Participation of all television broadcasters, radio, and digital undertakings was deemed mandatory. In April 2018, mandatory participation extended to wireless providers. Alert Ready complements existing public alerting systems and tools that exist in a number of FPT jurisdictions. A specific list of alert types was developed for the system (e.g. fires, natural disasters, terrorism, and civil, among others). Statistics show that in the last two years, police from across the country have mainly used Alert Ready to issue Amber Alerts (missing child / abducted children), a well-established program. To do so, police of jurisdiction send an agreed upon pre-formatted message to the Alert Issuer of the province/territory (P/T), which in turn initiates the Alert.

The RCMP has national Amber Alert policy and guidelines (which may only be activated by the police and is intended for the most serious, time critical abduction cases). However, each province develops its own criteria on when to issue an Amber Alert. There is currently no national RCMP policy on the use of the national Alert Ready system. National RCMP operational policies provide guidance and direction to members and employees on a wide range of topics. RCMP divisions may also have supplemental division/district/detachment policies that consider local requirements.

Generally speaking, the standard operating procedures for when to use the Alert Ready system would be set up through the P/T department responsible for emergency management, which are also responsible for managing P/T emergency alerts, and local agencies. This would be similar to the procedures for sending Amber alerts through this same system. Each province has its own agreements with various departments, agencies, and other entities for their Amber Alert programs. For example, all provinces have agreements with Pelmorex Corp, the private entity responsible for operating the technical infrastructure for Alert Ready. This infrastructure is referred to as the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination (NAAD) System.

The division, district and detachment policies in place within RCMP jurisdictions that are policing under contract are not centrally tracked, or monitored, as they often pertain to local requirements. While some RCMP divisions may have policy around using emergency alerts, divisional policies usually supplement a national operational policy.  

Alert Issued on April 24, 2020

On April 24th, an Alert message was issued from Nova Scotia’s Alert Ready System to warn the public of a potential active shooter in Halifax District. A second Alert message was subsequently sent to advise the public there was no longer a threat. The Alert issued on April 24th represented the first time such an alert was sent in Nova Scotia at the request of the RCMP. The large increase in call volume at the OCC during the Alert period significantly impacted the OCC’s ability to process all incoming calls in a timely manner. The use of social media platforms (e.g. Twitter/Facebook) for sending Alert messages allows for the public to respond directly with non-emergency queries or information without encumbering 9-1-1 OCC services.

RCMP Response 

Following the April 24th use of the Alert system, the RCMP will study and review information learned to determine whether improvements can be made. The RCMP is considering the development of a national Operational Manual policy to guide its personnel in relation to all police-related public Alerts. Developing operational policy consists of many steps, including reviews of current police best practices, canvassing the broader police community, consulting with internal working groups and consulting with partners and stakeholders, such as local emergency management offices who are responsible for managing provincial/territorial emergency alerts.

In addition, the RCMP in Nova Scotia (H Division) is reviewing the use of Alert Ready and is in direct contact with RCMP National Headquarters to develop policy and procedures.

Contacts:

Prepared by: Konrad Roberts, C&IP Strategic Policy, RCMP; 343-542 2628

Approved by: Brian Brennan, Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing, RCMP; 613-843-4632

Date modified: