Halifax regional councillor representing Bedford-Wentworth has been contacted by residents expressing worries about the way the police disseminated information regarding an armed individual in the vicinity during the past weekend. Jean St-Amand mentioned in an interview with CBC Radio’s “Information Morning” that he learned about the situation at the same time as the general public, or even slightly later. Social media posts preceded the official alert, causing some locals to share observations of police activity before the alert was issued.

On Saturday, an emergency alert was issued to the residents of Bedford, N.S., advising them to secure their homes as law enforcement searched for the suspect following a shooting incident in the Annapolis Valley. A subsequent alert with broader coverage was sent out 30 minutes later. The suspect, identified as Ryan Alexander Cole, 36, appeared briefly in Digby provincial court on Monday, with his case adjourned until August 25, while he remains in custody.

St-Amand expressed his intention to review the sequence of events related to the emergency alert with the city’s chief administrative officer. He acknowledged the potential discrepancy between the utilization of the alert system and the actions of responding officers, suggesting that local awareness often precedes official alerts.

Police in the Annapolis Valley responded to reports of a woman being shot in South Farmington on Saturday. The suspect, who fled in a damaged Mazda sedan towards Halifax, abandoned the vehicle after a collision with a tree near Sunnyside Mall in Bedford. Cpl. Mandy Edwards of the RCMP explained that alert dissemination considers factors such as the suspect’s location. An initial localized alert was sent when the suspect was believed to be on foot, followed by a broader alert covering the entire Halifax Regional Municipality when he was not located.

Edwards emphasized that alerts aim to inform and provide instructions if necessary, noting limitations on character space for detailed descriptions. In addition to alerts, the police use social media and traditional news releases to disseminate information to the public.