'THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS MOURNING WITH THEM'

Joan Kane was overwhelmed with grief as she stared into the eyes of
the four young Mounties killed in Alberta last week.

"This is every mother's nightmare," an emotional Kane said Saturday
after signing a book of condolences at Robert J. Reid and Sons Funeral
Home.

With her husband Melvin by her side, Kane wiped away tears and made
the sign of the cross as she paused before pictures of the slain constables.

"These young men have given up their lives for their community and
country," Kane said. "They have given the ultimate."

About 125 Kingston and area residents stopped by the funeral home on
Johnson Street to pen their condolences in a book that will be sent to
the victim's family and friends later this week.

Some mourners signed their name, others wrote a verse, one man left a
poem.

Shock and sorrow were the words most residents used to describe their
reaction to last Thursday's tragedy on a farm near Mayerthorpe, Alta.

RCMP constables Brock Warren Myrol, Christopher Schiemann, Anthony
Fitzgerald Orion Gordon and Lionide Nicholas Johnston were shot to
death while guarding the scene of a marijuana grow operation at a
large quonset hut.

The gunman, 46-year-old James Roszko, also died at the
scene.

At the funeral home, brief biographies posted beside pictures of each
Mountie served as a reminder of their short careers with the RCMP.
Myrol had been on the force for just two weeks.

"We know that all four of them are safe with Jesus," Kane said. "God
bless them."

A book of condolences signed by Kingston residents may be a small
gesture, but hopefully it will help the families heal, Kane suggested.

"It will give their families and friends some comfort to know that the
whole country is mourning with them," Kane said.

"These young men will be remembered always in our prayers."

Kingston Police Const. Rob Lalonde stopped by the funeral home to sign
the book during his shift Saturday morning.

He and some fellow officers were travelling back to Kingston after a
police hockey tournament in Sarnia when they heard about the shooting.

"As a police officer, you want to know all the details of how it
happened and what may have gone wrong," Lalonde said.

"Those are questions that are still unanswered," Lalonde
added.

It's easy to become complacent when performing a routine call,
especially after a couple of years on the force without incident,
Lalonde said.

"It's unfortunate that it takes such a tragic event to make you
realize that you need to be more cautious."

The mood around the Kingston police force this weekend was one of
disbelief and sadness, Lalonde said.

"We're all family," he said. "It's the biggest tragedy in 120 years of
policing.

"Hopefully our politicians will push for tougher drug sentences and
laws."

The condolence book was the idea of funeral director Michelle Smith,
said Karen Read, a receptionist at the home.

"I think a lot of people have been moved emotionally by [the
tragedy]," Read said. "It gives them a sense of peace to let parents
and family members know that we appreciate what their children have
done for us. We certainly share in their loss."

That sentiment was shared by Bath resident Stephen Greenwood, who
wrote a poem for the family.

"We as Canadians often take our protection from peril and danger all
too lightly.

"We fail to realize that without the brotherhood of police enforcement
officers, our lives and that of our loved ones would constantly be in
jeopardy from aggressors whose intentions [are] anything but friendly."

Focusing on the photographs, retired RCMP sergeant Lance Hodgson said
the slain Mounties were typical in appearance to the young officers he
worked with during his 25-year career.

"I remember losing people during my service but not this [many]," he
said. "It brings me closer, within myself, to my past work experience
and those I worked with."

Hodgson was stationed in Newfoundland, Ontario and Saskatchewan
between 1969 and 1994.

A tight bond exists between the family of men and women who serve the
RCMP, Hodgson said.

The tragedy in Alberta will force all Canadians to realize there's no
such thing as routine duties, Hodgson added.

"This was a supposed to be a basic duty, they were guarding a crime
scene," he said, visibly upset.

"I can recall many times treating such an event rather nonchalantly. I
know darn well that it could have been me or my friends."