SADLY, WORST PART OF BEING A COP COMES TRUE

You think things like that just don't happen in Canada, but the
shooting deaths of four police officers in Alberta during a drug raid
gone horribly wrong is a sobering reminder to the dangers facing
police officers in this country.

Words can't convey the sense of tragic loss of four people carrying
out their sworn duty. It's almost unprecedented in the history of the
RCMP. The commanding Mountie in Alberta says the last time there was a
loss of this magnitude was 1885 -- during the Northwest Rebellion.

The four officers, one of whom had been on duty only two weeks, were
ambushed guarding a quonset hut authorities had occupied in a
marijuana growing operation investigation.

Big-city police services have been warning of the perils of drug
growing operations for years. They've been well documented, even in
Niagara. There was a growing operation bust just this week on
Frederica Street.

It was anything but a big city where this tragedy occurred. It was in
an area described as gently-rolling farm country near the hamlet of
Rochfort Bridge in the northwestern part of Alberta.

If a tragedy of this magnitude can happen there, it can happen
anywhere.

There are more questions than answers at this point, but it is known
the suspected gunman is dead. He was described as a loner who became
involved in drugs. His own father called him a 'wicked devil.'

It's important to remember the service of these officers not only as
police, but as members of their community as well.

Just two weeks ago, three Mounties at the nearby detachment were given
awards for their work on a behalf of local boy with cancer.

They aren't unlike thousands of police officers across the
country.

The rookie officer -- Brock Myrol -- had just been interviewed by the
local paper as he embarked on his career in policing.

Like many others who become police officers, he said he wanted the
opportunity to work with people and to make a difference.

"Make a positive change in people's lives and serve the community," he
said. "I'm looking forward to it."