Another sad, true story

another line of duty death

RCMP Constable Rick O’Brien

I’ve had readers ask why I post photos of fallen police officers.

Many people who read my Substack posts are fans of mystery fiction, crime novels, and police shows on television. It is possible for those of us who read stories about violence and other criminal acts to become de-sensitized to them.

Constable Rick O’Brien was 51 years old. He and his wife had six children. Before joining the RCMP he was a mental health worker. In his 7 years with the RCMP he continued to work with youth with mental health struggles, and served as a school liasion officer.

According to an official RCMP statement:

“Within months of starting… he was involved in the rescue of a home invasion victims, which included a child and the arrest of armed suspects. He received a CO Commendation for Bravery and provincial award for those efforts. Cst. O’Brien led by example, and had a great sense of humour. He was well respected by his peers and the community.”

On Friday morning, September 22, Constable O’Brien was shot and killed, and two fellow officers seriously wounded while serving a warrant related to a drug investigation.

The real life women and men who serve as peace officers live daily with the knowledge that this could happen to them, or to their colleagues. Their families also live with this fear.

Tomorrow, Sunday September 24 the 46th annual Canadian Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Service will be held Sunday on Parliament Hill. The memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. It will conclude with a march past the memorials to the recently fallen officers.

The ceremonies will be broadcast live online at https://cppom.ca/live/