Pubdate: Tue, 08 Mar 2005 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Allan Woods, National Post Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Rochfort+Bridge (Rochfort Bridge) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) I WAS TOO QUICK TO BLAME DEATHS ON DRUGS, RCMP CHIEF ADMITS Zaccardelli Says He Condemned Grow-Ops Without Knowing Full Story of Ill-Fated Raid on Farm Canada's top police officer said yesterday that he was too quick to condemn a marijuana grow operation as the root cause in the deaths of four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers last week. RCMP Commissioner Guiliano Zaccardelli said in an interview that his condemnation of grow-ops just hours after the shootings may have been inappropriate because police and politicians did not have full details of the particular case and the background of the killer. Commissioner Zaccardelli and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, his political boss as the minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, spoke of the scourge of marijuana grow operations within hours of the killings and the need for tougher penalties for those who operate them. "I gave what I believed was the best information I had knowing full well that at that time I didn't have all the information," a contrite Commissioner Zaccardelli said. "Clearly, there's a lot of things in there that, in hindsight, we will have to look at in a different perspective." Police in Mayerthorpe, Alta., first attended James Roszko's home last Wednesday with a court order to seize stolen auto parts. While there, they discovered what a search warrant said were 20 "mature" marijuana plants, "several pots containing dirt with stems coming out of them numbering close to 100," and a smell "consistent of a marijuana grow operation." They returned the next day -- the day of the killings -- with a warrant to search for the drug outfit and seized 280 plants, $8,000 worth of growing equipment and a generator worth $30,000, the Edmonton Journal reported. But now it appears the murders were the work of a deranged man with a long criminal history and a grudge against police, and not that of a gangster protecting his cash crop. "None of these are simple issues. This requires some reflection and discussion," Commissioner Zaccardelli said. "Let's honour the memory of these four fallen police officers and help their families get through it, and then we need to carry on the debate after this." Commissioner Zaccardelli's comments followed statements in the House of Commons yesterday by all four political parties commemorating the deaths of constables Peter Schiemann, 25, Anthony Gordon, 28, Brock Myrol, 29, and Lionide Johnston, 32. Opposition parties declined out of respect for the four dead officers to use yesterday's question period to probe the initial reactions of Commissioner Zaccardelli and Ms. McLellan. Last Thursday night, Ms. McLellan said the officers "were killed in an operation involving, as far as we know at this point, an illegal grow operation." She went on to speak of the great danger grow-ops pose to police officers, their frequent links to organized crime, and the need for stronger penalties for those who run them. All are positions she has held consistently for a long time. Ms. McLellan would not discuss Commissioner Zaccardelli's comments yesterday. "The first thing that happened was that everybody acted based on a lack of information," said Randy White, a tough-on-crime Conservative MP from British Columbia. "Yeah, they did react, but based on information they didn't have." Prime Minister Paul Martin, Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson, Ms. McLellan and Commissioner Zaccardelli will travel to Edmonton on Thursday for a national memorial service. Following that, Commissioner Zaccardelli said, he will be making a "more extensive" public statement on the killings. All four political parties spoke yesterday in the House of Commons in honour of the four dead officers. Ms. McLellan, an MP from Edmonton Centre, southeast of where the killings took place, said she was personally shaken by the incident because it occurred in her home province. "These four officers served their community," she said, "but they were also part of their community." There were hints that Ms. McLellan and the country's national police force could come under heavy scrutiny in coming days. "All Canadians are asking why. Those answers will have to wait for another day," said NDP leader Jack Layton. "The time is coming to understand the implications of their deaths and the public policy involved," said Conservative leader Stephen Harper. Politically, it appears the federal gun registry could bear the brunt of the fallout in the days to come. Mr. Roszko had a long criminal record and should not have had access to weapons. There have also been questions raised about the level of training and preparation given to the officers guarding Mr. Roszko's property. A bill to reform laws governing use and cultivation of marijuana is currently under parliamentary review. It would increase penalties for those who grow the drug, but proposed decriminalizing possession of small amounts. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake