Calgary homicide cop George Rocks told me many times he always felt he was working for victims and their families..I don’t think I fully and truly appreciated that ethic until now, when I find myself in the sad position of working for George and his family after the great man died Thursday, due to complications associated with cancer..But back in ’98, I was new to the Calgary Sun when I met George and was shocked when my proffered right hand literally disappeared into his massive mitt..That was the beginning of a nearly seven-year run where, as a crime reporter, I had plenty of stories where George was directly involved as the head of the Calgary Police Service homicide unit — an elite team of varying personalities that solved more homicides than any other unit in Calgary’s history..At a crime scene in the late 90s, household items — toasters, pots and pans, cutlery, etc. — were strewn about. A rookie cop soon arrived and asked George where he should be. Rocks replied: “See down there,” he said, pointing to household debris. “Just turn left at the fork …..George was usually the guy you saw in the papers or on TV when a murder occurred, 10-32 in cop lingo, literally a “sudden death.”.“I remember why George was successful,” recalled Peter Smith, himself a legendary crime reporter with the Sun, now retired to a small island off BC’s west coast..“I did a story on one of the previous homicide bosses, who got zero murder convictions out of 21 cases,” said Smith, who added that was an “appalling” clearance rate..“Not many years afterwards, along comes George and he had a terrific success rate.”.Yet George never took credit, it was always, always the team that solved the most vile of crimes..And George would use everything and anything at his disposal, including reporters. That in of itself is odd — back in the day, police officers and journalists weren’t especially friendly to each other, and certainly wouldn’t be caught dead enjoying a meal or coffee together..George changed all that. He saw the news mob as a viable resource, another tool to be used to solve murders..And he knew to succeed, it must be a two-way street..“We had a rapport of trust, really,” said Smith..“If he told me stuff that wasn't supposed to go in the paper, it didn't go in. Similarly, he would tell me stuff he wasn't supposed to tell me, which I would keep to myself. It was the best, best one of those I ever had with anybody.”.Still, if Rocks didn’t want to give information, he had a novel way to keep Smith off the scent..“He and I would go for a coffee or something and I would be asking him some delicate question that I wanted to wriggle out of him, some important fact on a murder case,” Smith recalled..“And I would ask him, and he would just about ... to answer me and I’d just be getting ready to get my scoop.”.Now, Smith is an avid fisherman, especially fly-fishing — and Rocks knew that..“George would say to me, ‘I've been trying a new prince nymph fly, and I would talk to him about that.”. George RocksGeorge Rocks .It wasn’t long before Rocks had the seasoned journalist hooked..“Pretty soon I realized that he and I were talking about fly fishing, and totally forgot all about the vital answer I was about to get through my scoop, which I never, ever got so many times.”.After retiring from the CPS, Rocks went to work with a fellow retired officer doing PI work. One of his first cases involved a woman on the run who settled in Ireland. Rocks went to the woman’s last known Calgary address and talked to the woman’s friend, who refused to give up any info about her on-the-lam pal. Rocks called the post office to find out what it would cost to post a letter to Ireland, then promptly bought less stamps than were required. He addressed the letter to the woman, put his own return address on it, then went back to the Calgary home and asked the friend if she could just — privately — add the woman’s address and post the letter which already had stamps on it. Of course, the letter was returned right to Rocks due to insufficient postage and he found the elusive woman..Retired Calgary Police Det. Jack Morkin worked the streets with Rocks “chasing bikers in Forest Lawn back in the 70s” then, later, in the robbery unit with Rocks, before the latter joined homicide. (In fact, Rocks aggravated the outlaw bikers so much, they blew up his police cruiser)..A newly retired Rocks would later join Morkin’s private eye firm, where he located a missing woman in Ireland..“But that was George,” said Morkin. “He had a bag of dirty tricks. They were all legit — nothing illegal — but tricky.”.Morkin said he and Rocks became brothers, “but George was a role model to just about everybody out there, all the young guys coming up.”.Yet, he was much more..“George was really such an iconic figure in major crimes — particularly when he was in charge of homicide unit,” said retired Calgary police Deputy Chief Al Redford..Years before, Redford was the inspector in charge of the Major Crimes Unit from 1998 to 2001..“I was technically George’s boss,” he said..“I say technically, because really he was my mentor in so many things. Mainly in teaching me the ins and outs of the finer points of homicide investigation, but also in leadership style.”.Yet, as echoed by all who were interviewed for this story, it was George’s compassion that stood out..“I remember George always used to say 'balance,' said Redford.."He said we worked for God, we work for the victims who can no longer can speak for themselves. We need to bend over backwards to do everything we can to bring to justice and arrest whoever it was that did this horrible thing.”.George Rocks was steaming. Earlier, he shut the 4 Ave. flyover to give his team time and space to gather evidence during a fresh homicide investigation. Several news organizations took him to task for the move, as did unimpressed drivers unable to cross the bridge. Rocks was defiant: “I will shut down this entire city if it leads to the arrest of a murderer,” he said..“He was a totally dedicated police officer in all respects,” Redford said..“He was completely focused on the latest and greatest techniques in in homicide investigation. He was very inventive. We would try anything as a section and he would listen to everybody's ideas. He never behaved like he was the smartest person in the room, although he probably was.”.Rocks earned that same commitment from his guys in homicide..“There wasn't one member in that unit that wouldn't crawl over a mile of broken glass if George asked them to do it,” said Redford..But on top of everything else he did, Rocks was a teacher. Anybody who was willing to listen would hear all Rock’s knowledge and all the techniques about how to conduct a successful homicide investigation..When Rocks retired, he knew his family had lost out on a few things. Like most cops, he probably lost count of the number of birthdays, anniversaries and other significant events he missed because other families were depending on him.."He knew his family had taken a back seat to his career, but once he retired, he was all-in," said former Calgary police officer Robin Van Gastel, who said he considered Rocks a mentor.."He tried to be that perfect husband, dad, and poppa.".Rocks was 74, a dad of three and grandfather of four, when he succumbed to cancer..His family remembers him as a musician and a man of faith with strong moral fibre..“He would do what was right,” said daughter Julie. “No matter the consequence.”.George’s wife, Sheila, recalls meeting her future husband more than a half-century ago..“George and I met in junior high. We got married in 1969 and we've been together 52 and-a-half years,” she said..“He liked being with family, liked going on picnics, fishing, and hunting with his brother in law.”.George also told his wife what would happen near the end..“He said most people, when they die, their sense of hearing is the last thing that goes,” Sheila said..“He said his would be his appetite. He loved to eat,” she laughed.."I haven’t always been the stalwart reporter whose words you’re currently reading. When I was much, much younger, I seemed to know a lot of police officers, probably because I’d been arrested so many times. I even did a short prison stint before I got my life together. George found out all that, and I remember telling him I was disappointed he learned of my umbral past..“Mike,” he said. “I don’t care who you were, I like the guy you are now.”.And that was George.
