7 Calgary Cops Have Been Killed On The Job In My Lifetime and I'd Rather Not See Any More

An emotional Les Kaminski held a press conference earlier this morning, calling for the release of the names of the individuals who were shot after attacking members of the Calgary Police Service.  The president of the Calgary Police Association noted that the individuals in question died after trying to kill police officers.  These weren't stand-up citizens and both were well known to police.

I can see no reason for withholding the names, it serves no public purpose to do so. It's almost certain that they'd be identified had they survived these encounters and been arrested. So why not now?

The CPS has come very close to losing some of its members in the past few weeks.  Thankfully all the good guys came out alive though a little the worse for wear, and I want to again thank Cst. Jordan Forget for his service and sacrifice to the community. Same goes for the undercover officer involved in the most recent incident.

I've spent the majority of my nearly 50 years living here, and in that time seven police officers have died in the line of duty.  To be honest I really only remember 6 of them, but here are the stories of those seven:

Staff Sergeant Keith Harrison (1936 - 1976)

On March 12, 1976, Staff Sergeant Keith Harrison was alone in his car when he responded to a holdup alarm at a nearby credit union. He was unable to request backup because of a radio malfunction, but attempted to follow the culprits' vehicle as it left the scene. Realizing they were being followed, the suspects forced a confrontation with the officer. A shootout ensued and Staff Sergeant Harrison was shot in the abdomen. He died hours later on the operating table.

The offenders took hostages in a northeast Calgary home. After two days, they traded the hostages for cigarettes and drugs. One of the suspects died of a drug overdose at the scene. Two others were convicted of murder and a number of other charges, while a fourth person was not charged.

Staff Sergeant Harrison was a 16-year veteran who had just been promoted to Staff Sergeant of Detectives. He taught law to police recruits and was considered a brilliant academic. He was survived by his wife and two teenage children.

I don't really remember hearing about this though it did sound familiar when I read about it years later.

Constable Bill Shelever (1945 - 1977)

Constable Bill Shelever had only been out of recruit class six weeks when he was shot and killed on May 27, 1977. On that evening, the 32-year-old rookie and his partner, Constable Jack Pedersen, spotted a man who fit the description of an armed robbery suspect. They took him to their car for questioning.

Without warning, the suspect pulled a gun and demanded the officers' weapons. While attempting to disarm him, Constable Shelever took a shot in the head while Constable Pederson was shot in the leg and foot. Constable Pederson recovered sufficiently to shoot and wound the suspect as he tried to escape. Constable Shelever died two days later. The offender was later convicted of attempted murder and murder.

Constable Shelever was survived by his wife, as well a daughter, born a few months after his death. As a result of the incident, police ammunition was upgraded to improve stopping power.

I remember this one.  My mom and one of her friends knew Jack Pederson back then and I've met a few people since then that knew him.  I'll never forget when this happened.

Constable Rob Vanderwiel (1956 - 1992)

Constable Rob Vanderwiel was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Sept. 22, 1992, during a routine traffic stop.

While returning to his car to verify the driver’s identification, Constable Vanderwiel was shot in the back of the neck and died at the scene. The driver of the vehicle was later apprehended, charged and convicted of first-degree murder.

Son of retired CPS Staff Sergeant Art Vanderwiel and devoted father to his only son, Christopher, Constable Vanderwiel is remembered as the friend who always went the extra mile.

To commemorate the memory of this devoted public servant, the Rob Vanderwiel Memorial Award is presented at each graduation ceremony to the recruit who demonstrates the greatest degree of co-operation and teamwork toward his or her fellow police officers.

Const. Vanderwiel was gunned down just a few houses down from a relative of mine. His killer, reprobate David Lawes, was on a tourist visa from Jamaica when he pulled a .357 magnum on Const. Vanderweil. Denied parole last year, he is a constant problem for the correctional system.

Constable Rick Sonnenberg (1966 - 1993)

In the early hours of Oct. 8, 1993, Constable Rick Sonnenberg and his partner were alerted about a stolen vehicle. As it headed in their direction, Constable Sonnenberg attempted to lay down a spike belt. He was struck by the speeding car and died instantly.

A youth out on bail was convicted of criminal negligence causing death, hit and run and possession of stolen vehicle.

Constable Sonnenberg, 27, was with the Service just under four years and was about to announce his engagement to be married. He was also survived by his mother Maria, his sister Lisa and his niece Rachael.

Following Constable Sonnenberg's death, his sister led a campaign to raise funds for a police helicopter. The Calgary Police Service acquired HAWC1 in July 1995 and HAWC2 in April 2005. Both have proven to be effective in providing aerial support to ground-based units.

Const. Sonnenberg was killed a few days before I moved back to Calgary from Kamloops.  HAWCS patrols the skies above Calgary due in large part to Const. Sonnenberg's sacrifice, so that no other officer has to die while attempting to apprehend a speeding vehicle.

Constable John Petropoulos (1968 - 2000)

At 5:40 a.m., on Sept. 29, 2000, Constable Petropoulos and his partner were dispatched to investigate a break-in at a business in southeast Calgary, where it was suspected someone was inside the building.

Upon arrival, officers began to check the exterior and interior of the building. Constable Petropoulos entered the building, together with other officers and the Canine Unit, and climbed a ladder onto a mezzanine area. He lost his footing and fell through ceiling tiles onto the concrete floor three metres below. He was rushed to the hospital with severe head injuries and was pronounced dead early that afternoon. An investigation later revealed that, although the call was legitimate, a break-in had not occurred.

Constable Petropoulos, 32, was with the Service for four years and was highly regarded by his fellow officers. He was survived by his wife, parents and two siblings.

What seems so tragic about this is that it was an accident.  Anything can happen when a police officer goes out on a call, even things that never would have come to mind.  I was a reminder to everyone that it can be a dangerous job even when a gun isn't being pulled on you.

Constable Darren Beatty (1972 - 2001)

On Oct. 17, 2001, Calgary Police Service Tactical Unit officer Constable Darren Beatty, 29, was critically injured during a training exercise at the former District 7 (Silver Springs) training facility.

Despite the best efforts of his colleagues and emergency services personnel who rushed to his aid, Constable Beatty died of his injuries shortly after being transported to a local hospital.

Constable Beatty joined the Calgary Police Service in December 1996, graduating from Recruit Class #118. He was initially assigned to District 1, where he served as a patrol officer until June 1999. He was then posted to the Mountain Bike Unit before joining the Service's Tactical Unit February 13, 2000. He was survived by his wife.

When the tools of your job include firearms, the risk to your life goes up exponentially. Tragically, deaths happen due to training accidents every day, and all over the world. Police and military's around the world train every day using live ammunition and ordnance. Sadly, Const. Darren Beatty lost his life during such an exercise in  2001.

All of these men knew the risks that they were taking every day when they went to work, and they went anyway.

That's at least worthy of a thank you.

So, if you have the opportunity to do so (safely), thank a police officer for what they do. 

D.B.C.