After delays in N.L. Amber Alert, police looking for ways to make process faster
'We're lucky, of course, that this was a successful conclusion,' says Const. James Cadigan
Following some delays in getting an Amber Alert across Newfoundland and Labrador last week, police say they will be working with all departments to see if there is a more efficient way to get these kinds of notices issued.
Police in Corner Brook received a report of a child abduction just after noon on Jan. 2. A media release for an Amber Alert was issued at 3:15 p.m. NT; the provincial department responsible for the emergency alert system was notified at 4:22 p.m., and the notification on LTE and 4G networks went out at 5:35 p.m.
Const. James Cadigan of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says police will be looking at the process to see if there's a way to save time for future Amber Alerts.
"Any time we engage in a resource such as an Amber Alert, there's processes in place, and following the conclusion of this type of process certainly we're gonna be reviewing anything that we can find in terms of efficiency," he said.
"It's about looking at experience, and experience is very valuable, so we will take this experience and go forward and look for those efficiencies."
The 12-year-old Corner Brook boy was found safe in Port aux Basques after the alleged abduction. His father, 47, was arrested and charged with parental abduction and stealing a car.
There is a publication ban on the man's name to protect the identity of the child.
Cadigan said before police can issue an Amber Alert, officers need to confirm it is indeed an abduction before that information gets released.
"That's what differentiates this case from any other missing persons case," he told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.
"We have front-line officers, as well as investigators, who are gonna be going from door to door … and try to gather as much information as possible. Certainly we're gonna reach out to the community. It's just about gathering information and a rigorous investigation is conducted."
In the case of a child abduction, time is of the essence, but the risk of distribution of unverified information needs to be minimized.
"Of course we also have to consider that a rigorous investigation had to be completed to confirm the information we received, verify this information, eliminate alternate explanations, and essentially we have to have reason to believe that a victim is in danger of serious bodily harm," Cadigan said.
Municipal Affairs Minister Derrick Bragg, whose department includes fire and emergency services — which oversees the province's partnership with the Canada-wide Pelmorex alert system — said the official request from police didn't come until over an hour after the Amber Alert was issued.
And, he said, there were formatting issues, leading to another hour's delay before his department actually activated the system.
Cadigan said police and government have a "great partnership" on the collaboration.
"When Amber Alerts first came around of course it was a lot of faxes flying around and stuff like that. We're in a different age — we have a lot more resources available following the initiation of an Amber Alert," he said, adding again that all parties will review what happened this time to ensure the best process is being followed.
In the meantime, Cadigan said, the public response to the Amber Alert was good, and police received a lot of information.
"We want to thank the public and we want to thank the media as well as our government departments for a great collaborative approach and that's what this is all about," he said.
"We're lucky, of course, that this was a successful conclusion."
With files from The St. John's Morning Show