RCMP CHIEF RETREATS FROM LINK BETWEEN KILLINGS, GROW-OPS

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 shortly after the shootings might have been
inappropriate because police and politicians did not have full details
of the particular case and the background of cop-killer James Roszko.

Zaccardelli spoke of the scourge of marijuana grow-ops within hours of
the killings.

He and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, Zaccardelli's boss as the
minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, spoke Thursday
night of 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
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 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."

But in the days since the murders, it appears they were the work of a
deranged man with a long criminal history, as opposed to that of a
gangster protecting his cash crop.

"None of these are simple issues. This requires some reflection and
discussion," 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."

Zaccardelli's comments followed statements in the House of Commons by
all four political parties commemorating the deaths of constables
Peter Schiemann, 25, Anthony Gordon, 28, Brock Myrol, 29, and Lionide
Johnston, 32.

Out of respect for the four dead officers, opposition parties declined
to use yesterday's question period to probe the initial reactions of
Zaccardelli and McLellan.

But a few hours after the killings, 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.

McLellan would not discuss 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."

Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson, Prime Minister Paul Martin,
McLellan and Zaccardelli will travel to Edmonton on Thursday for a
national memorial service.

Local police forces will send representatives to the service,
including the Surete du Quebec, Montreal police and Laval police. A
spokesperson for the Longueuil police could not say whether it would
send officers.

Following that, Zaccardelli said, he will make 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.

McLellan, an MP from Edmonton Centre, southeast of where the killings
took place, said she was 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 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 Jack Layton, the leader of the New Democratic Party.

"The time is coming to understand the implications of their deaths and
the public policy involved," Conservative leader Stephen Harper said.

Politically, it appears the federal gun registry could bear the brunt
of the fallout in the days to come. Roszko had a long criminal record
and should not have had access to weapons.

There also have been questions about the level of training and
preparation given to the officers guarding the Roszko's property.

A bill to reform laws governing use and cultivation of marijuana is
under parliamentary review.

It would increase penalties for those who grow it while
decriminalizing possession of small amounts.