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Ontario’s Inspector General of Policing has determined that Niagara Regional Police failed in their duty to provide adequate policing after a 911 operator dismissed a distress call as silent and sent no one to investigate. The finding centres on the death of Ralph Buerger, a 59-year-old Welland, Ontario, man who suffered a fatal heart attack in the early hours of August 30, 2024, while desperately trying to summon help.
A Silent Call That Went Unanswered
Ralph called 911 at 2:56 a.m. and remained on the line for approximately 36 seconds. Unable to speak during a heart attack, he could not verbally communicate with the operator. Investigators who later reviewed the audio described hearing sounds consistent with someone falling roughly four seconds into the call, followed by laboured breathing around the 14-second mark. Between 23 and 36 seconds, the breathing became, in the investigators’ words, “obvious and congested.”
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Despite these audible signs of distress, the 911 operator categorized the call as a silent call and chose not to dispatch officers or initiate a wellness check at the address linked to the phone number. The following morning, Ralph’s brother Rick discovered that Ralph had died overnight.
The Inspector General of Policing for Ontario released a 28-page report at the end of July, nearly a year after the family began seeking answers. The report concluded that Niagara Regional Police had failed in their duty and compounded the problem through weak internal oversight and a culture that appeared to deflect accountability rather than confront it.
A Slow and Flawed Internal Investigation
After Ralph’s death, family members learned about the 911 call he had attempted to make. A detective who reviewed the recording told the family there had been a “thump” on the call and described the situation as a “mistake.” A Niagara police inspector went further, telling the family there had been a “screwup” and advising them to consult a civil lawyer.
Behind the scenes, however, the internal investigation moved at a troubling pace. Niagara Regional Police’s professional standards division waited seven weeks before interviewing the 911 call taker. When that interview finally took place, it lasted only six minutes. The Inspector General’s report described the session as featuring “leading questions that may have steered the call taker to answers that were consistent with NRPS procedures.”
Rick Buerger said the report confirmed what he had long suspected. “What kills me too is when they interviewed her, the 911 call taker, she just kept saying, ‘I don’t remember this,'” he said. “And they kept giving highly leading questions, which steered her to give answers, as it says in the report.”
A Culture of Self-Protection Within the Force
Roughly a year after Ralph’s death, the family met with Chief Bill Fordy and two deputy chiefs. During that meeting, one deputy chief acknowledged a troubling culture within the organization. According to the report, the deputy told the family that officers are often taught from early in their careers to “cover your ass” and avoid exposing the organization to liability. The deputy added that when external oversight becomes involved, the internal approach shifts to letting processes run their course without admitting fault.
Rick said reading those admissions in the report was an emotional moment for his family. “That’s what brought up emotions with the family,” he said. “I suppress mine so I can keep going as much as I can, but definitely this gives us a vindication and it even brings out more than what we thought.”
He also expressed gratitude toward the Inspector General’s office. “Our family is so appreciative of the IOP and all the work and all the investigating they’ve done because otherwise it would have been just swept under the rug,” Rick said.
Police Board Apologizes, Force Promises Review
Niagara Regional Police Service Board Chair Nyarayi Kapisavanhu issued a formal apology to the Buerger family. “The Board is deeply sorry for the additional pain this process may cause and acknowledges the emotional toll that accompanies revisiting such a tragic loss,” the statement read. The board described the report as “an important opportunity to learn, strengthen our systems of oversight and accountability, and implement meaningful improvements aimed at reducing the likelihood of similar tragedies in the future.”
Acting Chief Todd Waselovich also responded to the findings. He committed to a structured review of every recommendation in the report. “Over the next 90 days, we will carefully review each recommendation in its entirety, develop a comprehensive action plan, and ensure the necessary changes are implemented to strengthen our Service,” Waselovich said.
For Rick Buerger, the Inspector General’s report into the Niagara Regional Police mishandling of his brother’s 911 call represents both a measure of justice and a confirmation of the failures he spent two years fighting to expose. “I feel that this report shows the incompetence and negligence of the NRP,” he said. “The report basically vindicates everything that I’ve been saying all along.”
