Pubdate: Tue, 08 Mar 2005
Source: Northern Life (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Northern Life
Contact:  http://www.northernlife.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2396
Author: Keith Lacey
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

SUDBURY OFFICERS TO ATTEND RCMP MEMORIAL

The Greater Sudbury Police Service will be sending four officers to 
Edmonton for Thursday's national memorial service for the four slain RCMP 
officers slain last week.

Two members of the Greater Sudbury Fire Department will also attend the 
service, which is expected to attract thousands of police officers and 
dignitaries from across Canada and the United States. The local RCMP 
detachment will not be sending anyone to the memorial.

"Six people from Ontario, including our commanding officer, who will be 
representing all officers from Ontario, will be attending," said Staff Sgt. 
Claude Faucher from the Sudbury RCMP detachment. "All of the good mates and 
fellow officers who worked with the four slain officers will be allowed to 
attend, and that's why a decision has been made not to send anyone from 
this detachment."

Insp. Al Lekun, Insp. Gene Toffoli, Sgt. Dale Healey and one other officer 
who has yet to be named, will attend the ceremony representing Greater 
Sudbury Police. The ceremony will be held Thursday at the University of 
Alberta.

Insp. Susan Evans said the violence in Alberta has shaken every officer 
across Canada.

"We obviously didn't know these officers, but it brings back some terrible 
memories of the officers we have lost locally," said Evans. "It really goes 
to show that this job is not predictable and that a small segment of the 
population is violent.

"All police officers take sworn to protecting the public...and we try and 
go into every situation armed with as much information as possible, but 
this tragedy highlights you just don't know when you are going to encounter 
danger and violence."

Faucher said, "We do the same type of work here in Sudbury that those 
officers out west do, and it certainly brings home the message that this 
type of thing could happen at any time. It certainly set back all of our 
(15) officers here in Sudbury and makes you think things like this do happen."

Police in Alberta say the man accused of murdering the four officers and 
then taking his own life, Jim Roszko, 47, was operating a marijuana grow 
operation. He "ambushed" the officers when they entered the building where 
thousands of marijuana plants were growing.

The investigation has centred around police trying to arrest Roszko for 
refusing to make payments on a new truck. When police went to a farm, they 
discovered the marijuana operation and returned. The officers were ambushed 
by Roszko, who was armed with an assault weapon.

Evans said this case is sure to bring the spectre of marijuana grow 
operations into the political and judicial forefront.

"All I will say is these large-scale marijuana grow operations are 
dangerous," she said. "They involve organized crime as very few involve a 
couple trying to grow a few plants to make a few extra dollars.

"They often involve barricades and booby-traps...and are often very 
dangerous for police. As I've said, police try and get as much information 
as possible whenever they attend a scene, but we can't always be prepared 
for unexpected bursts of violence."
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