The death of two Edmonton police officers is a fresh reminder of risks in the profession, says a retired Mountie..Edmonton constables Brett Ryan, 30, and Travis Jordan, 35 died two weeks ago after being dispatched to a domestic dispute at 12:47 am March 16..Larry Comeau tells the Western Standard such situations can always go awry..“Every police officer knows responding to domestic disputes can often be dangerous. That is taught in police training. That action was what got the two officers in Edmonton murdered. They apparently did not even have time to draw their weapons,” Comeau said..According to the Edmonton Police Service news release, the officers “were met by a 55-year-old female complainant outside of the complex. The two officers then responded to the suite where she resided, along with a 73-year-old male and their 16-year-old son..“Immediately upon arriving at the suite, both constables were shot multiple times by the 16-year-old male and were immediately incapacitated. A struggle reportedly ensued between the mother and son over the firearm, and the suspect shot his mother before turning the firearm on himself, taking his own life.”.By the evening of the Edmonton funeral, another police death was in the news. Maureen Breau, an officer with 20 years’ experience, went to a house in response to threats in Louisville, Quebec, near Trois-Rivieres. She was fatally stabbed, while another colleague was injured. Two more Sûreté du Québec police officers arrived on the scene and shot suspect Isaac Bouillard Lessard to death..Lessard had been charged with uttering threats and assault multiple times. In three separate court proceedings, he was found not criminally responsible for his actions. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to assault, but was released on conditional discharge, given two years of probation and assigned 200 hours of community service..“The female police officer murdered in Quebec was in the process of affecting arrests. Those actions, like many other things police officers do in the run of a day can quickly turn deadly,” Comeau said..“The trouble is after dealing with any criminal activity often officers tend to become complacent and can left their guard down.”.Comeau, who retired in 2001 after more than 35 years in law enforcement, said sometimes the danger is more obvious..“I did many drug raids. Every time I had to kick in a door to gain entry, it certainly gave an adrenaline rush. You just never knew what was awaiting on the other side! Raiding biker clubhouses was another potentially dangerous situation.”.In December, 28-year-old Ontario Provincial Police officer Grzegorz Pierzchala died after responding a call regarding a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, Ontario. He was fatally shot, leading to the first-degree murder charges of Randall McKenzie, 25, and Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, 30. .“Police officers seldom quit because a fellow officer gets murdered,” Likely their spouses, who are always worried, will become even more concerned when an officer is murdered. No man or woman ever goes into policing to become a desk officer,” Comeau said..“They likely do become more alert in the short time but still have to get on with the job. They likely become even more united! Policing is about being a close net comradeship and dependent on each other,” Comeau said..Comeau said anti-police campaigns have only made things worse..“I fear after the George Floyd riots in the US, followed by war on police by some in the Democrat Party along with calls for defunding the police and replacing them with social workers, resulted a new view of police. The movement of Black Lives Matter and its anti-police rhetoric made the police the enemy. The number of US officers murdered since then has risen and recruiting police officers plummeted,” Comeau said..“Policing in Canada remains far less dangerous than in many areas in the USA. However, that being said the anti police movement in the USA has made its way north. Policing will always be a dangerous profession.”
