CADETS SHOCKED BUT REALIZE DANGER OF THEIR PROFESSION

On the brink of taking his Mountie oath, cadet Bryan Gardner -- like
officers across the country -- got a "wake-up" about the job's
inherent dangers with the slayings of four Alberta officers.

"We're all shocked and saddened by what occurred, especially since a
week from now we're all going to be in the same profession," he told
reporters Friday.

As he and other cadets in Troop 18 prepare for their approaching
graduation, none were re-thinking their career choice, Gardner said.

"Everyone is still game, but people are definitely processing the
information," he added.

The 29-year-old new father left the military for an RCMP career in
hopes of providing a "better life" for his wife and infant. While
Thursday's shootings brought home the danger of that work, he still
feels amply prepared and ready to assume its risks.

"Everyone knows coming in that that's part of the job, but
unfortunately this is a wake-up for us," Gardner said.

Cadet Amelie Guerin, who is still seven weeks from graduating, shared
those sentiments. "It's a dangerous profession we all know. ... It's a
risk. But when you join, you're ready to take it."

Chief Supt. Curt Tugnum, the commanding officer in charge of RCMP
Depot, said the training cadets receive "absolutely" prepares them for
the potential dangers.

Across the province, the deaths touched officers who reflected on the
losses and the increasing danger of their profession.

"It's devastating when you lose one officer on duty, but to lose four
officers in one incident, the magnitude of that just cuts to the
bone," said acting Sgt. Grant Obst, a Saskatoon police officer who
helped co-ordinate a memorial for fallen officers last fall in Regina.

"You always know when you come to work that there's that possibility.
It's not something you dwell on. ... But it's the reality of
policing," said Obst, a former national president of the Canadian
Professional Police Association. "Everybody's thoughts and prayers are
with the officer's families," he added.

Bernie Eiswirth, executive director of the Saskatchewan Federation of
Police Officers, said the type of raid in which the Alberta officers
were involved is not uncommon. Indeed, as a retired Regina police
officer whose duties included the drug squad, he once did similar
work. "You have to always think about safety, but you never think it
will happen to you," he said.

"It's devastating for everybody. Every police officer has been on that
kind of call," Eiswirth later added.

Christine Tell, Regina Police Association president, said she was
"horrified" as news of the deaths unfolded. "It just brings home the
fact that this job is dangerous -- even when it appears as though it's
just a normal, everyday situation. You have to be ever so vigilant all
the time."

While the slayings had some people pondering the perils of narcotics
investigations, Tell said it's the reality of all policing. "There's
really a lack of respect for police," she said.

The slayings have prompted Ottawa to consider tougher penalties for
marijuana grow operations and also renewed debate over decriminalizing
marijuana.

"It's unfortunate the murder of four police officers causes the
government to re-think its position," Tell said. "We at the Canadian
Professional Police Association, the national board, have been pushing
not to have it decriminalized. Is this what it takes to get them to
re-visit the issue?"

Eiswirth noted the national association has also been lobbying for
stronger tools to deal with grow operations. "Since organized crime
has taken over a lot of grow ops, they've become ... more dangerous,"
he said.