Four members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) have been recognized for their response to a potentially tragic situation earlier this year.
Sergeant Craig Bird, Constable Braden Lonsberry, Constable Deanna Young and Special Constable Josie Newton were presented with a chief’s commendation by Estevan police Chief Paul Ladouceur during Tuesday’s meeting of the Estevan Board of Police Commissioners.
“Josie took a call from dispatch in regards to a request to check on the welfare of a male, who was found to be distraught,” said Ladouceur. “Family members wanted the police to check on his welfare.”
Bird, Lonsberry and Young were called to deal with the incident. When they arrived and knocked on the door, there wasn’t a response. Police entered the residence and were met by a man carrying a loaded shotgun.
“The officers began negotiating with this gentleman from a position of cover, and after a period of time, the male surrendered to police,” Ladouceur said. “The male was taken in for mental health assistance, and later told the police that he wanted to commit suicide, and in fact wanted suicide by police.”
Officers used perseverance and professionalism when dealing with the incident. Ladouceur reminded the police board that officers are authorized to use as much force as necessary when confronted, and sometimes that would include deadly force, but they did everything they could to diffuse the situation.
“Easily this gentlemen could have ended up fatally wounded. These officers could have ended up fatally wounded. And at the end of the day, everybody ended up safe,” said Ladouceur.
The man has been receiving the mental health treatment he needs since the incident. His family wanted to meet the officers personally, and Ladouceur was touched when he heard comments such as “awesome work,” “I can’t thank you enough” and “I have a whole new respect for the Estevan Police Service.”
“So this has certainly had a huge impact on the individual involved, a huge impact on that individual’s family, and I’m sure a huge impact on these officers,” Ladouceur said.
Ladouceur didn’t specify when the incident occurred because the EPS wants to protect the identity of individuals when it comes to mental health incidents. In this case, the individual wasn’t charged by police, and his name wasn’t released.
Bird said the incident itself lasted only 20 minutes, although it seemed like a much longer period of time. They also had to spend a couple of hours working with mental health to help the man receive treatment.
Bird is proud of how the other officers handled the situation.
“Luckily, the individual on the other end was receptive to our communication as well, and surrendered peacefully,” said Bird.
In a situation like that, training and instincts kick in.
“It could have went a complete 180 degrees,” said Bird. “Fortunately, the training kicks in, and that’s why we do mental health training, and do a lot of training in regards to these types of situations.”
Ladouceur said the EPS has done a great job of recognizing members of the public through various programs in recent years, but recognition programs for the officers themselves have sometimes been lacking, and that’s something he hopes will change.
“I’ve worked for a number of different agencies through my career, and certainly I’ve received commendations, and I’ve seen other officers receive commendations, and I think it means a lot to the community, it means a lot to those members and it means a lot to the organization if we can do something like that to recognize outstanding works.”
Bird, Lonsberry, Young and Newton were presented with plaques as part of the commendation. Ladouceur is hopeful more chief’s commendations can happen in the future. They won’t be handed out on a regular basis or for trivial matters, but he wants to salute officers for how they handle themselves in situations like this.
