On June 4, 2025, the Lloydminster detachment continued operations to locate and arrest a violent individual with outstanding charges who had also committed other recent offences.
Read more: Word on the beat: reasons and rationale
The public first learned of the situation through a media release informing residents of a police operation on the east side of the city. Many officers were involved because of the individual’s history with law enforcement.
During an incident such as this, one of our first tasks is to contain the area and, if the risk assessment dictates, remove people from the vicinity.
Public safety is a significant consideration. If there is risk to the public, police will take action to mitigate it. Media releases are issued for public safety and typically include a request for people to stay away from the area.
Informing the public of a situation like this, unfortunately, can also draw people to the area out of curiosity or a desire to be first to post online for “likes.”
This can — and does — complicate our response and increase risk to the public. Officers must then divert enforcement resources to remove those individuals and keep them away. This is why we ask that people stay clear of areas where police action is ongoing.
I have previously written about people posting photos or information in real time online and how this can create public and officer safety concerns. In this case, we identified one individual who was live-streaming our operations, which can increase risk to everyone in the area.
It is now common for suspects involved in incidents such as this to use their phones to seek information about police operations. That was the case here. We learned at least one person in the apartment contacted someone outside to relay information and possibly interfere with our response. Real-time information and video increase the risk to everyone involved and might aid the subject.
We have also encountered situations where we are searching for someone on foot and that person calls or messages someone to pick them up. This is a common tactic used to evade police. We also see this when attempting to apprehend individuals in stolen vehicles. They may arrange for someone to meet them and provide transportation.
These are variables many residents might not have considered, but they add another element to our work — one that increases risk to everyone involved.
My intent is to provide additional context to help the public understand why we sometimes act as we do.
Many factors must be considered when determining how much information can be released during an incident. These decisions are made in dynamic situations with continually evolving circumstances, as the apprehension of a suspect is weighed against overall risk.
Staff Sgt. Jerry Nutbown is the NCO in charge of the Lloydminster RCMP detachment’s General Investigation Section. Stay tuned for future columns from the Lloydminster RCMP.
This column was originally published in the Feb. 19, 2026, edition of the Meridian Source.
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