By Refraction

NEUSTAETER: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution – Another Police Incident in my Neighbourhood

Feb 17, 2019 | 9:04 AM

A significant police incident played out in my neighbourhood on Thursday morning of this week at a home within a 5 minute walk of our elementary school and in the back yards of dozens of families (One man charged in connection to Kamloops robbery, kidnapping) and it was unnerving to say the least.

Although Kamloops is a deeply caring, supportive and rallying community there has also recently been some unpredictable and widespread crime within almost all districts of the city and I’m sad to say that in my previously quiet, peaceful, family-oriented neighbourhood occurrences like this are no longer as rare as we would like.

I’m no expert, but it seems to me that since we can’t wave a magic wand and stop all crime, both RCMP and citizens at large can at least do some simple things to minimize stress, avoid compounding the problem, mitigate confusion and protect everyone involved when a serious incident occurs.

1. It’s my perception that although our RCMP are understaffed and overworked they still do an incredible job protecting our community while risking their own lives for the safety of others. The incident in my neighbourhood resolved relatively peacefully due to their expertise and we owe them a debt of gratitude, but even so I believe there is room for improvement when it comes to communication during an event like this one. I understand that RCMP often can/should not release compromising information as an incident unfolds; it would be foolish and would endanger members of the RCMP, the public and those involved in the incident if RCMP behaved like the general twitterverse and spread information like high school gossip. But I do believe that the police have a responsibility to keep the public reasonably informed when a crisis is unfolding in their backyards.

On Thursday morning parents who were oblivious to the unfolding events got up, prepared their kids for school and sent them out the door not knowing that police had already been on scene minutes away for an hour and a half (it is generally agreed that police cars were on the scene by approximately 6:30am and most children leave for their buses around 8:00am). From my understanding, the school district (who could have put a direct call out to families) was not informed, neighbours were not made aware and local media had no official information to pass along – meaning that children were left standing at their bus stops watching police cars swarm unaware that their buses were stuck in a roadblock. Parents who should have had the opportunity to make alternate plans for the safety of their children were instead left in the dark about a dangerous situation minutes from their homes.

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While the RCMP eventually said there was “no threat to the public” it is a parent’s prerogative to make an informed decision about whether they are comfortable with their children walking by an unfolding police scene or whether they would like to take precautions. For the safety of officers and the effectiveness of an investigation full details obviously can’t be released, but I do think that the public is owed more appropriate communication than we saw on Thursday. After securing the scene and dealing with the immediate dangers, the messaging could have been, “There is a road closure from _______ Drive to _______ Drive for an unknown amount of time due to an unfolding police incident. Buses are not able to pick up, please make alternate arrangements for children on route to school”. Instead, the lack of basic information created great stress, unnecessarily frightened children, and caused general chaos, leaving the community feeling somewhat distrustful about the RCMP’s ability to manage the safety of the public while conducting what RCMP later referred to as a “measured, operational strategy”.

2. There is a contingency of people who often see a police incident as an opportunity to become irrationally rude, misdirect their anger (or fear), reinforce stereotypes or demonstrate their immaturity. I found the immediate comments about police member’s weight, the tired jokes about donuts, making light of a potentially life-threatening situation, etc. online both astounding and disgusting. In a moment when we should pull together it’s discouraging that so many see an opening to tear apart. When women and men put themselves on the front line to protect others they are deserving of respect while risking their lives for the greater good. While families were praying that their loved ones in service would come home alive, insensitive others were making belittling and repugnant jokes and taking worn-out jabs. It would benefit us all to revisit common decency and learn to hold our bitter tongues (or keyboards) as a crisis plays out.

3. I have observed that there appears to be somewhat of a public misconception about the media’s job during a police incident – demanding information that is not available and criticizing media for not fabricating details is not beneficial to anyone. It isn’t a media organizations job to make the news; it’s their job to report the news. The last thing anyone should want is a news outlet that speculates, jumps to conclusions, undermines the police, confabulates a story or circulates rumours, even if we wish the details were available to us immediately. When it comes to receiving information during or after a crisis what we, the public, need are the facts, but unfortunately sometimes we do need to wait for them. Trustworthy media cannot responsibly or accurately give us information during an active situation unless the police tell them first. Good media releases whatever information is available in the moment so that the public is as informed as possible, and sometimes that is limited to “there is a police incident ongoing, please avoid the area”. It isn’t a news organization’s job to tell us what we want to hear; it’s their job to tell us the truth. If you don’t like the perpetuation of “fake news” then it’s best not to feed the demand for it.

I’m not sure what the solution is to the rising criminal activity in our city, but I do know that I’m sick of watching the terrible life choices made by a few, affect the lives and communities of many. I’m weary of the words “previously known to police” and I’m as frustrated as anyone else by the feeling of helplessness that accompanies incidents like the one that played out in my neighbourhood this week. But I’m also confident that sinking to the lowest common denominator, using a potentially life-or-death situation as an opportunity to make a cheap joke or blaming others isn’t a part of the solution.

Perhaps our time would be better spent setting up area watches, getting to know our neighbours and contributing to solution-finding than taking to the comments section and exacerbating the problem.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.