Saskatchewan RCMP released a report Thursday addressing a series of recommendations made to the organization based on its response to the mass killing on James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon in 2022.
Myles Sanderson was on statutory release in September 2022 when he went on a stabbing rampage in the two communities, kicking down doors and killing people. Eleven people died and 17 more were injured.
An internal review was conducted by Alberta RCMP into how the Saskatchewan RCMP handled their response of the attack.
On a broad level, the report didn’t identify any “common underlying circumstance” that significantly impeded the RCMP’s ability to manage its response. It did, however, find areas where the RCMP can make improvements.
“We took the recommendations and we looked at how can we modernize to respond quicker and more effective and utilize the training and the abilities to be able to deal with these types of events as they evolve and throughout the investigation,” RCMP criminal operations officer Ted Munro said Thursday.
A total of 36 recommendations have been made from the RCMP’s internal review. With the suggestions coming from the two inquests held earlier this year, more than 50 recommendations have been made to the police force on where growth is needed.
Inquest into the deaths at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon
Eleven recommendations were directed at RCMP at an inquest in January with respect to the 11 deaths at the hands of Sanderson. The recommendations are meant to improve how RCMP handled the mass casualty event, including the manhunt for Sanderson.
The jury made three recommendations for RCMP during the inquest in January, with eight additional recommendations coming from the inquest coroner.
Recommendation: Police databases must display suspect photo dates and systems should be able to pull from government databases
Public alerts were distributed during the mass casualty evening in September 2022, one of which included an incorrect photo of Sanderson, sparking recommendations from the jury and inquest coroner to implement technologies that will ensure officers have access to the most current photo of a suspect.
RCMP said moving forward, a system will be implemented that will ensure all subject photos have an identifying occurrence number showing when the photo was taken.
In the next fiscal year, RCMP said officers will also be able to pull from government databases, including SGI, police RMS and private source photos from in-car workstations.
Recommendation: Vacant positions within RCMP divisions be fully staffed
The inquest coroner recommended that RCMP take all reasonable measures to ensure that the warrant enforcement and suppression team (WEST), crime reduction team (CRT) and Saskatchewan trafficking response team (STRT) be fully staffed and that the divisions also consider expansion.
RCMP said the divisions are facing vacancies between 20 and 40 per cent and that any expansion of the divisions would require more resources from the province.
Current projections are for 1,280 new RCMP applicants to attend training during the 2024-25 fiscal year, followed by 1,600 new applicants for the following two years.
At Thursday’s presentation of the Saskatchewan RCMP’s internal review, assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said new recruits will allow more experienced officers to be moved over to specialized teams to assist in mass tragedy situations.
“We’re seeing a dramatic increase in the number of applicants and the number of troops going through depot has been significantly increased,” Blackmore said.
RCMP noted that asking for expansions within the divisions wouldn’t be feasible considering the current vacancies.
Recommendation: Top 60 Most Wanted target be distributed to all RCMP detachments no less than quarterly per year, with repeat domestic offenders ranked higher
Myles Sanderson was considered unlawfully at large for months leading up to the killings after breaking the conditions of his statutory release.
A program is used that scores and ranks offenders who are considered unlawfully at large or have outstanding warrants for violent offences issued by RCMP. Domestic violence is currently not considered on the prioritization matrix.
The RCMP said it is exploring adding domestic violence to the prioritization matrix, but said it is a manual task and the labour is intense. Until a more efficient process is found, each offender will be investigated manually and a flag placed on their record to indicate a history of domestic violence.
A Top 10 Most Wanted list was distributed to the lead officer of the two warrant enforcement and suppression teams on a monthly basis but since March 2024 the list has also been distributed to the detachment officers in the offender’s area, including warrant status and the severity of their crimes.
Moving forward, RCMP said it is also developing monthly person of interest reports that will rank violence offenders based on their past 18 months’ occurrence history.
Recommendation: When a Most Wanted target is affiliated with a Saskatchewan First Nation, leadership be advised of that individual’s status
RCMP said this practice is already addressed in national policy but added that the enhancements to the Most Violent Offender and Most Wanted lists will allow for more collaboration between RCMP and First Nations leadership.
Within the next month, RCMP said detachment commanders can expect instruction on when they can have discussions with First Nations leaders to make sure they are aware when a violent offender is affiliated with or living in their community. This is to be done after commanders review the most recent list of offenders with active warrants or currently at large.
Inquest into the death of Myles Sanderson
Sanderson died on Sept. 7, 2022, of a cocaine overdose shortly after being brought into RCMP custody.
An inquest into his death was held in Saskatoon in late February 2024, where the jury provided three recommendations to RCMP after watching and listening to detailed accounts of his arrest.
Recommendation: RCMP consider implementing mandatory enhanced driver training, including the pit manoeuvre
During the inquest into Sanderson’s death, the jury watched dashcam footage from Const. Heidi Marshall as she spun Sanderson’s stolen vehicle off the road, resulting in his capture.
According to RCMP leadership, Marshall’s execution of the pit manoeuvre was flawless, despite her lack of training in the tactic.
The jury recommended that officers be trained in the pit manoeuvre but the RCMP said conducting the move above 80 kilometres an hour is considered an application of lethal force and dangerous to the public in the area.
“The expected outcome is the death of the driver,” the report said. “These maneuvers are only considered in situations where exigent circumstances involving danger to life or grievous bodily harm exist, and may only be utilized when approved by a pursuit supervisor following a complete risk assessment in consideration of the totality of the situation.”
RCMP said the Advanced Emergency Vehicle Operators Course is currently undergoing a national update that will look at the potential of including the dangerous move in officer driving training.
Recommendation: Additional training in enhanced extraction techniques during arrests be considered
During the inquest, the jury watched RCMP pull Sanderson out of the vehicle he had stolen after he had been spun off the road and into the ditch. Sanderson was concealed by the airbag and officers said it was hard to tell if he was holding any weapons in his hands.
RCMP said extraction techniques are already addressed through formal officer training, including safely pulling a suspect from a vehicle during a high-risk event.
Recommendation: RCMP review the policy of criteria in a high-speed pursuit
The current criteria for a high-speed pursuit are addressed by national policy, according to RCMP, and authorizing a pursuit is only done after a risk assessment is done based on the evolving situation.
“This revised policy seeks to provide a less restrictive ability to justify the necessity for a continued pursuit,” the report said. “Included in this policy revision was the implementation of the mandatory Emergency Vehicle Operations on-line training course which includes modules on conducting and applying pursuit related risk assessments.”
RCMP review and report of the mass casualty homicides
After an extensive review of its own response to the event, RCMP compiled a detailed report on actions taken by officers during the three-day event and looked at areas the organization could improve its efforts.
Recommendations relating to the RCMP’s initial response
During the early hours of the massacre, only two RCMP officers were patrolling the First Nation. The situation was unfolding rapidly, and the two constables split up for a period of time, putting them at a tactical disadvantage, according to the report.
At times, the officers were approximately 12 kilometres apart and the reception on James Smith Cree Nation was poor.
RCMP noted there is no current national policy guidance on the issue of one- or two-person patrols.
As a result, the RCMP is considering additional training around one- or two-person patrol vehicle response, including the delegation of resources and discussions surrounding risk when only two officers are able to respond to an initial scene.
“The most obvious solution would be to always deploy the maximum number of members with the maximum number of patrol vehicles possible; however, the reality is this scenario is seldom available in rural policing environments today,” the report said.
RCMP also recommended the detachment commander encourage other officers to attend James Smith Cree Nation regularly for patrol or other events to solidify relationships within the community.
Recommendations relating to the major crimes branch response
During its review of the RCMP major crimes branch and its response to the homicides, the RCMP recommended providing more resources to forensic identification services for scenes of this magnitude.
During the event on James Smith Cree Nation, forensic identification services is responsible for processing more than 40 separate crime scenes and more than 700 exhibits. The unit was also required to attend 10 autopsies.
As a result, RCMP recommended exploring the possibility of leveraging civilian resources to help process exhibits and having someone stationed permanently at the exhibit room.
In respect to the crime scenes, RCMP said it will consider purchasing inflatable tents or additional fabric walls for forensic identification services to protect evidence and provide more dignity to the deceased while processing scenes.
The RCMP also said it is interested in improving communication between tip intake co-ordinators and apprehension teams to assist with the delegation of resources.
Recommendations relating to the mass casualty and victim response
RCMP said due to the tragic community impact brought on by the event, improvements can be made to victim services.
RCMP recommended training additional members and supervisors in the specialty of mass casualty events in the areas of deployment and reporting structures, documentation processes and the function of family liaisons.
RCMP will consider generating a document to be distributed among RCMP divisions outlining cultural considerations so appropriate and respectful support can be offered to victim families.
Victim “support kits” were also recommended, including documents, pre-printed support pamphlets in multiple languages and program referral links.
RCMP noted that two separate reviews are being conducted related to the preventability of the event by Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada. The reviews will look at Sanderson’s statutory release and community supervision.
The RCMP said it will review the reports when they are available.
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