Edmonton officer's deaths in the line of duty rocks policing community here at home
Local police officials are heartbroken after the latest deaths of two officers on duty in Edmonton.
The shooting deaths of Edmonton police constables Travis Jordan, 35, and Brett Ryan, 30, on Thursday are the sixth and seventh deaths of officers in the line of duty across Canada in the last six months.
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On Friday, Barrie Police spokesperson Peter Leon told CTV News speaking about their deaths was admittedly difficult but important during what he calls "unprecedented" times.
"I've been involved with law enforcement for 35 years, and I've never seen a stretch where we've lost so much life," Leon said.
Leon said their deaths hit close to home after a close encounter last month.
In that instance, a Barrie officer was stabbed by a person in distress while attending a wellness check at an apartment complex in Early February.
"Every day, our officers put on the uniform and are called to a scene. There is always danger," Leon added. "There's no such thing as a routine call."
Three of the seven deaths have connections to Simcoe County.
South Simcoe police constables Devon Northrup and Morgan Russell were killed while responding to a disturbance call at a home last fall.
Two months later, OPP Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala of Barrie was killed near Hagersville, about 45 kilometres southwest of Hamilton, while responding to a call about a vehicle in a ditch.
"In this case (Edmonton), obviously they didn't know they were going to be met with gunfire, very similar to the situation in South Simcoe," said Chris Lewis, CTV Public Safety Analyst and former OPP Commissioner. "Ninety-nine per cent of these calls end up with maybe an arrest or walking away without a lot of violence, but never routine. They're obviously calls that can go violent."
The Police Association of Ontario is calling for action as police-related deaths continue rising nationwide.
"All of those instances, they were targeted, and they were ambushed," said Mark Baxter, Police Association of Ontario President. "They never had an opportunity to defend themselves, and it's really shaking the police community."
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