Mother-son RCMP duo run patrol together in northern B.C.

An RCMP officer in northern British Columbia says she has checked something off her bucket list after carrying out a patrol with her son, a few months before she hangs up the hat on her 38-year career.

Cpl. Madonna Saunderson, 60, has served as a media relations officer in Prince George, B.C., for close to 10 years and performed field work for decades before that, having started serving in 1986.

Her 26-year-old son, John, graduated from the RCMP training depot in Regina this year, and was given the constable designation at the RCMP detachment in Terrace, B.C. — around 385 km away from Prince George, as the crow flies. 

On Oct. 7, the mother and son went on a traffic patrol together in Terrace — and celebrated afterwards by going out for dinner. By a twist of fate, the shift ended up falling on John’s birthday.

Both Cpl. Saunderson and Const. Saunderson spoke to Sarah Penton, the host of CBC’s Radio West, about passing the torch before Madonna retires in the new year.

“I can’t remember how many times I brought her to school for show and tell,” John said. “Instead of bringing toys or whatever, I’d bring my mom and the police car. And it was just always something I’ve been very proud of.” 

Madonna said her son always appeared likely to follow in her footsteps, and even dressed up as a Mountie for Halloween.

“I remember putting on her high browns [shoes] and was like, ‘These are the worst boots ever,'” the younger Saunderson remembers. “They were probably a little too small for me at the time anyways.

“But then getting my own pair of high browns, I was like, ‘Nope, they’re still just almost as uncomfortable.'”

Madonna said she was terrified of her son going into the force, because she knows exactly what threats John could face on the job. But she remembers telling her son if he wanted to try it, he should. 

“I didn’t want him to have the what ifs.”

“And if you find out it’s not for you, well then you move on to something different,” Madonna recalls saying to John. “But he needed to do that on his own and I couldn’t stop him and I certainly would never try.”

Madonna said she isn’t aware of any other RCMP officer who has gone on a shift with their child before. She said she knows colleagues who have children on the force, but none who have accompanied them on a patrol.

She said she let her son take the lead on the traffic stops during their patrol together, even though the two didn’t have to make any arrests.

The mother said she hopes to work another shift with her son before she retires in the spring.

“He dealt with the things that he had to deal with, and I just kind of stayed in the shadows and just kind of watched to see what would happen,” Madonna said. “And he did great.”