Latest news with #TheMentalHealthServicesAct
CBC
03-05-2025
- CBC
Sask. police watchdog clears 2 RCMP officers in 2024 Swift Current wellness check death
Saskatchewan's police oversight organization has cleared two RCMP officers in the death of a woman they arrested. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is the provincial civilian-led watchdog agency that investigates incidents involving police. The new report looks at an incident that happened on May 5, 2024, when a 55-year-old woman died in Swift Current, about 230 kilometres west of Regina. SIRT says that at about 11:06 a.m. CST, a family member of the 55-year-old asked for a welfare check because the woman was allegedly upset, in pain and couldn't be convinced to go to a hospital. RCMP were also made aware of the women's history with substance abuse and talk of self-harm. Two officers then went to the hotel where the woman was staying and reported seeing sores on her feet when speaking with her. According to SIRT, an officer was able to convince the woman to go to a hospital and an ambulance was called. At about 11:40 a.m. CST, two paramedics arrived and entered the room, but the woman's level of co-operation changed, per the report. "While the EMS personnel were able to complete some checks on the affected person, she refused to allow others, became uncooperative, spoke of suicide, and stated that she wished she had died during an earlier incident with EMS," SIRT's report says. The report says the officer believed he had formed ground to take the woman into custody under the Mental Health Services Act, but told the woman he preferred if she went to the hospital voluntarily. "When the affected person swatted at the Subject Officer as he attempted to prevent her from lighting a cigarette during the examination, he placed her under arrest pursuant to The Mental Health Services Act." The woman was arrested without resistance or use of force from the officers, according to the report. SIRT says the woman kicked backward at an officer and hit them in the shin, but the officer didn't react and didn't use force. The woman was put on a stretcher and moved into the ambulance while handcuffed. While on the way to the Cypress Regional Hospital, the 55-year-old said her handcuffs were too tight. When the officer went to adjust the handcuffs, the woman went "limp" and into "medical distress," the report says. Police removed the handcuffs and paramedics began providing care for the woman. At about 11:58 a.m. CST, the ambulance arrived at the hospital. The woman was transferred to the care of medical staff and was declared dead by a doctor at about 12:26 p.m. CST. SIRT concluded that the "arrest was both based on reasonable grounds, and was reasonably conducted" and there were no grounds to believe the RCMP officers committed any offences.
CTV News
02-05-2025
- CTV News
Report into woman's 2024 in-custody death in Swift Current released
Following the investigation into a 2024 in-custody death in Swift Current, the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has released a report with their findings. Swift Current RCMP received a request to conduct a wellness check around 11:06 a.m. on May 5. A 55-year-old woman was found at a local hotel but refused assistance from police and EMS, according to SIRT's report. She was taken into custody under the Mental Health Services Act and brought into the ambulance waiting outside the hotel. However, on the way to Cypress Regional Hospital, she went into medical distress and became unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at 12:26 p.m. after she was admitted to hospital. SIRT was notified of the incident the next day. Four investigators and the civilian executive director were sent to Swift Current to begin their investigation. An autopsy conducted on May 7 found the woman died from cardiorespiratory arrest, as well as contributing factors including chronic and acute mental conditions, combined drug toxicity, and the stress of police detention. During SIRT's investigation, police and civilian witnesses were interviewed, and relevant audio, video, and documentary evidence was seized, the report said. The report found that while the officer placed the woman under arrest, he did so without any force, and she had been 'placed into the care of EMS personnel prior to the onset of her ultimately fatal medical distress.' 'It is further worth noting that prior to placing the affected person under arrest, the Subject Officer attempted to convince the affected person to attend for medical treatment voluntarily,' the report read. While the woman's stress from being arrested may have played a part in the timing of her medical distress, the report said the arrest was based on reasonable grounds and reasonably conducted, as the officer did so with prior knowledge of the woman's substance abuse and self harm. 'The combined information obtained both from the pre-existing information regarding the affected person as well as the observations of the Subject Officer made during the incident provided ample grounds for the Subject Officer to lawfully place the affected person under arrest pursuant to The Mental Health Services Act,' the report read. The investigation found that the subject officer did not commit any criminal offence during the incident and no charges will be laid. SIRT's mandate is to independently investigate in-custody deaths, injury from actions of police officers, and allegations of violence involving police.
