fall, the
Martensville police service is a bit of a mess. According to the province's police
commission, longstanding problems are coming to a head. Files mishandled or
misplaced altogether, generally shoddy police work and mismanagement. One
officer is off on suspension, and so is the chief, another officer is off with an
injury. All of which leaves the modestly staffed Martensville police service, 
pretty much unable to serve.
CLAUDIA: I was one, of a number of constables, that were hired to help fill the holes.
LISA: Claudia Bryden is home in Saskatoon, caring for her two young children,
when she gets a call asking if she can help out.
CLAUDIA: 'Cause it was only supposed to be four to six weeks. Right? Very
temporary.
LISA: Claudia had started her law enforcement career at a small detachment of
the Royal CanadianMounted Police, the RCMP, one prairie province over, in Manitoba.
It was the kind of posting where you might be the only law
enforcement officer for miles, where you can find yourself completely on your
own facing any number of calls, from break ins, to assaults, to murders. It was
tough work, but Claudia found great purpose in it. Nevertheless, 7 months in,
when her husband, also a cop, got a job in Saskatoon, Claudia resigned. And so,
with two small children at home, she hadn't been planning to go back to work
quite yet.
CLAUDIA: I hadn't been to Martensville, you know, until I was there two nights
before, because I was sworn in with a few other people, but I didn't know
Martensville at all. So, my first shift was an orientation shift, and I was