COPS GIVE US PEACE OF MIND

The shooting deaths of four RCMP officers in Alberta on Thursday shows
just how dangerous policing has become in Canada.

Police officers investigating any facet of illegal activity put their
lives on the line, every time.

And while it isn't always this tragic, the potential always
exists.

These four slain Mounties were killed after a raid on a marijuana grow
operation near Rochfort Bridge, a village of about 60 people some 130
kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

They were apparently shot by single gunman, who reportedly then took
his own life.

The four Mounties were just guarding the scene, RCMP officials said,
when they were all shot and killed.

This really isn't about the dangers of marijuana growing operations,
which Ontario residents have also become all too familiar with in
recent years.

Or stiffer penalties for producing illegal drugs or for trafficking it
or even legalizing marijuana.

For that matter, it isn't about gun control either (although it might
be once more details emerge about what happened and why). Being a
police officer on a municipal force, with provincial police or the
RCMP is a dangerous way to make a living.

There's nothing routine about the profession, not ever.

Citizens, along with the media, often wonder if police don't
over-react to situations.

Streets are blocked off, SWAT teams called and information is scarce
during incidents which seem like they could be handled by police two
officers and a cruiser.

But police respond to incidents in the way they do to protect not only
public safety, but their officers as well.

It's also worth noting that this is why trained police officers are
needed for all aspects of law enforcement, including traffic.

Those who enforce the laws are always potentially in peril, because
there will always be those who refuse to believe the law applies to
them.

That's why police officers must be trained, armed and protected by the
best equipment available -- such as bulletproof vests. But even that's
not always enough.

At first glance the RCMP deaths in Alberta seem to indicate that
something is missing from the picture.

How could four Mounties be caught off-guard like this?

Was the shooter hiding or had he snuck back onto the property? Why
weren't police more aware that this danger existed?

There's no exact police blueprint, however, for dealing with these
type of situations.

There are just too many unknowns, too many factor that cannot be
controlled under any circumstances.

Marijuana grow operations, for example, have the potential to generate
millions of dollars. Their operators already don't respect the law.

They also don't appreciate having their livelihood taken away, and
their new home a jail cell.

RCMP officers were involved in delivering news of this new reality to
an Alberta man on Thursday morning, and they paid for it with their
lives.

Policing is that black and white, that dangerous, in
Canada.

Police officers of all stripes face that danger every day in this
country. It doesn't always result in this level of tragedy, but it
always can.

That's something for Canadians to remember the next time they're home
and feeling safe.

Police officers are one reason, maybe the most important one.