February 23, 2019 is a day that Provincial Constables Mary Boddy and Eric Renkema of the Haldimand OPP remember vividly.
“Approximately 1:30 in the afternoon we had a call that there was a male party that was suicidal, and he had a firearm,” said Boddy. Renkema added, “They believed that he was intoxicated or under the influence.”
The two officers, along with three others, responded immediately. On the way to the scene they researched the male, such as previous calls to police, firearm licences, family dynamics, and so on.
“There’s a lot of thinking as you’re going on your feet, and then you’re continually assessing and re-assessing,” said Renkema. “It was a rural property too that we were not familiar with…. There’s lots of things to consider. Safety is paramount.”
Boddy added, “It’s obviously a high-stress adrenaline rush whenever there is a firearm involved.”
The family members, who were in the residence, were removed from the property. They confirmed that the male was in an outbuilding, had a rifle, was agitated, and was suicidal in the past. They also learned that the male “could be aggressive with police”.
“All of the sudden it’s real, there’s a real firearm that could come into play,” said Renkema. “And you’re re-assessing again what you’re going to do.”
Boddy added, “You know it could go either way. It could go badly very quickly.”
Radio silence was requested for anything outside of the incident. Once the officers were in position, Boddy established contact with the male by cell phone.
When asked if she had any training in this type of negotiation, Boddy said, “No, I didn’t have any training. A lot of it was just instinct and having compassion for someone. And the experience I have…. If we had time on our hands, there are specialized units that deal with this kind of thing. But we didn’t have time to wait for them. It was imminent danger.”
After being hung up on multiple times, Boddy was unsure if she would be able to connect with the male to calm him down. Once she finally did, they mostly did “small talk”, such as about his home: “Just something to get his mind off wanting to kill himself.”
“He started to reason with me. I gave him reasons to live,” said Boddy. “And then we stepped to surrendering.”
Boddy made five calls over 45 minutes, with the last call lasting 17 minutes until the male agreed to exit the building unarmed. Renkema and the other three officers were waiting outside securing the area, prepared to take action if necessary.
“He was supposed to come out with his hands up … but this individual came out just walking, with objects in his hands,” said Renkema on greeting the male as he exited. “Remembering that all the officers have this person at gunpoint with our high-powered rifles, it’s pretty stressful. You’re trying to gain control.”
Boddy noted that it was extremely important the officers remain clear and concise in their instructions to the male, especially when he may be intoxicated.
“Initially he was complying with the commands. Then he became upset, got verbal. It was just like on the drop of a dime his whole demeanour changed from being compliant to being very confrontational,” said Renkema. “Instantaneously he started to run at me. He yelled at me, ‘Just shoot me.’ …. At that point I realized he was unarmed, but I’m still concerned for my personal safety. I have to instantly change my train of thought – how am I going to deal with this person that’s running directly at me, angry and aggressive?”
Renkema quickly switched from his firearm to a ‘Conducted Energy Weapon’, also known as a taser: “I was able to deploy it and stop the threat, stop him, before he got to me.”
The male was secured with handcuffs. He was taken into a police cruiser, where a registered nurse, there under the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team, rode with him to the hospital. See Page 10 for a story on this team. Renkema noted, “It’s like an initial assessment right on scene, so that gives us some direction on where that person needs to go, such as for medical treatment or mental health treatment.”
In the meantime, the officers tracked down the weapon to secure it, informed the family of the outcome, and then proceeded back to base to debrief. All in all, the situation lasted three hours.
When asked how it felt at this point, Renkema said, “I don’t know if it really hits you just yet…. Of course, we’re all happy that the end result is no one got hurt; it’s as good of a conclusion to the events as possible.”
“It’s a later emotion, relief,” said Boddy. “But that’s not a strong enough word.”
Boddy and Renkema were both commended for their actions that day, which was formally recognized at a recent recognition night when both received the Award of Valour. On receiving this award, Renkema said, “It was a team effort. Everybody did what they needed to do…. A lot of people (officers) do good things and don’t get recognized for it, so when you do it feels good.”
Boddy said, “With all the death you see, it’s really good to save a life…. It humbles you. I’m proud of our actions that day.”
Renkema added, “I have a rolodex of dead people that go through my head…. Lots of times you don’t get to feel that you made an impact, but that day it did. It ended well and someone got the help they needed…. That’s why we joined up. At the end of the day, we want to help people.”
Between the two of them, Boddy and Renkema have 37 years of experience as officers. They both agree that it takes a “certain kind of person” to work in policing – compassionate and communicative, to work with those in crisis; quick thinking and with a strong “Spidey-sense”, to handle rapidly-changing situations; resilient, to cope when things go badly; and a good typist, to do the paperwork.
Despite the death they see, the difficulties they face, and the danger they put themselves in, both Boddy and Renkema have good things to say about their careers. Boddy noted the strong comradery among the officers and the joy in knowing you’ve helped someone through what may be the worst day in their life: “I just had a lady come up to me to say, ‘You were the officer that told me my husband was killed. I just wanted to say thank you for your compassion and sensitivity. I’ll never forget that.’ Hearing that, well, it made my week.”
Renkema added, “You have a front row seat to life. You’re always right there.”
