Biggest loss in RCMP History...

Since the Louis Riel rebellions of 1885. This is fucking bad. About a two hour drive from where I live. I could have known some of these cops.


MAYERTHORPE, ALTA. - Four RCMP officers died Thursday when a man with a high-powered rifle began shooting during an investigation into a marijuana grow operation in northwestern Alberta.

"It's my sad duty to inform you that four RCMP officers, four brave young members have been killed in the line of duty," RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bill Sweeney told reporters at a late-afternoon news briefing.

<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" hspace="4" width="220"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center"> http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/pix/rcmp_marijuana050303.jpg[/img] </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> [i]The Quonset hut that police suspect held the marijuana growing operation in Rochfort Bridge, Alta.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> In Canadian police terms, said Sweeney, "You'd have to go back to 1885, to the Northwest Rebellion, to have a loss of this magnitude. It's devastating."

Police said a fifth person described as "a male suspect" had been found dead at the scene of the crime, a farm near the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge.

The suspect was known to police, said Cpl. Wayne Oakes.

He added that a number of police officers had been guarding the scene since the night before as part of an investigation into illegal marijuana growing and stolen property.

Two of the dead officers had been among the team who were at the Quonset hut overnight, Oakes said.

Rochfort Bridge is located near Mayerthorpe, a town of 1,700 where the RCMP detachment is based, about 130 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

Three of the dead officers were members of the Mayerthorpe detachment and the fourth was from the RCMP's Whitecourt detachment.

<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" hspace="4" width="220"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center"> http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/pix/rcmp_marijuanashoot050303.jpg[/img] </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> [i]News vehicles were kept away from the scene through the day while police investigated.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Family members of the slain officers began arriving at the Mayerthorpe detachment Thursday afternoon, some of them weeping as they were escorted into the building by uniformed Mounties.

Officers stopped responding to radio calls

Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko told CBC News that details of the trouble that broke out at about 10 a.m. Tuesday morning were sketchy.

"As far as we know, there's four officers not responding to their radios, so there is an indication that something is serious here," Cenaiko said.

"[The situation] is still active and they have a number of resources that are on scene or going to the scene."

<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" hspace="4" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center"> http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/news/rochfort_bridge.jpg </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Sgt. Rick Oncescu, who is with the RCMP in Calgary, said two SWAT teams were called to the area Thursday morning.

A military spokesman said about 20 soldiers and two armoured vehicles were sent to the area after police called for military assistance at about midday.

George Vanderburg, the provincial politician who represents the area, says he and Cenaiko were briefed on the situation around midday Thursday.

He could not provide further details except to say it was a "very serious and very tragic" situation.

Unbelievable. I suspect that the meth lab and marijuana raids that have been going on lately will have the cops shooting first and asking questions later, should the need arise. Can't say that I blame them.

Meth abuse is pretty common in Maine...

Meth abuse if fairly common here in Oklahoma too, but we've got ways of dealing with that. :evil:

...

Like putting cold and flu medicine behind the counter for instance.

Yeah, I've heard that works well... many states are also thinking about doing that.

Only 700 RCMP officers have been killed while on duty in the 130 year history of the force. That includes auto accidents and other non intentional deaths (as in not murders). That's a really low number considering that the RCMP is the equivalent of the US's FBI and also does local policeing for roughly half the country. I wonder how many police officers die on duty in the US every year, it's probabably somewhere close to taht number.

The US does have a whole lot more people than Canada, you know... but yeah, even per capita it's probably lower in Canada.

My Grand Father was a RCMP , My Great Grand Father Joseph was a Commissioner and cheif of police in all of canada for the RCMP so my grand father followed in his father's footsteps there,He was first french canadian to reach such a high rank in the organization in the 50's. I still have his mountie Hat, I dont know were the Uniforms went though.

I am surprised that this is the biggest casualty count in their history since the Rheil Mauti uprising in the 1800's , 4 doesnt seem like much for such a historical policing force,You think there would have been a major shoot out at some point the past few decades already I know this doesnt count the local regional police.