I have my flack jacket on. I am prepared for strong opinions being expressed that someone like me - who doesn't - and hasn't ever - worn a uniform - or put my life on the line for others - would even ask this question. My son is trying to become an RCMP officer himself. But I am asking the question. How much (in regards to funerals for fallen members of police forces) - is too much?
The following article mentions that up to 4000 police from Canada will be going to a funeral to honour an officer killed in the line of duty. That this makes the family feel better - I have no doubt.
But as a taxpayer I can't help but wonder about that many police members who (while they are at the funeral) - are not on the job. The huge cost of flying these men in from all points of a country must be huge, as Canada is huge, and it makes me think the air and hotel costs alone (not just missing man-hours of work) must be immense. I think about the fact, that not only will most of the men attending the funeral not know the man - but I'm probably safe in assuming, they never heard of him - that is - until his death. To me - when I think about this, it seemed in the past a few dozen men from around the country would go to such a funeral - representing the different provinces and territories of Canada, perhaps. Then it seemed that scores of officers attending became the norm, then I heard of funerals where hundreds of other police attending happened - now it's actually thousands of men - from all around the country that seemingly is considered "normal". Is this actually the wisest use of tax-payer money?
At what point does spending the taxpayer's money on honouring a fallen officer - become "too much"?
List members - what are all your thoughts - on this matter?
Here is the article:
Thousands of law enforcement personnel from across the continent are gathering this hour at Carleton University and the Ottawa Civic Centre to honour slain Const. Eric Czapnik.
Wearing the traditional black band of mourning across their police badges, the officers are marshalling inside the cavernous are gathering at the Carleton U fieldhouse. Hundreds have already arrived and as of noon they were queueing up into ranks.
The formal procession will also include many members from Ottawa's paramedic service and the fire department. Joined by many of Czapnik's close family members, they will begin exiting the university toward Bronson and Sunnyside at about 12:30 p.m.
The procession will travel along Bank St. to the Civic Centre, where it is expected to arrive after about 1:15 p.m. Road closures will be in force all along the route during the march.
Outside the Civic Centre, two Ottawa Fire Department aerial trucks sit, poised to raise a large Canadian flag high over the Bank St. entrance when the cortege begins to arrive. Many more emergency services workers are filing in to the Civic Centre itself, where photos of Czapnik are being project on large screens as dignitaries begin to arrive.
OC Transpo buses which are ferrying participants in to Carleton all bear the message "Lest We Forget" on their display boards. OC Transpo also announced today any emergency services personnel in uniform will be able to ride free to attend the funeral.
When officers arrive in the expansive fieldhouse, they are greeted by a large photo of Czapnik.
Ottawa police expected about 4,000 law officers to attend the funeral, and those ranks will be boosted by many more from other emergency services.
�We really owe it to ourselves, we owe it to the community, we owe it to Eric�s family above all else to really do our best to produce a fitting tribute for the family,� said Insp. John Copeland during a run-through for the funeral which was held on Wednesday night. Copeland will be the master of ceremonies.
The �dry run� involved everything from lighting, projection screens and a choir practice to figuring out where the honour guard and pallbearers would walk, even the speed at which they should do so. Care was given to make sure nothing was raised higher than the Canadian flag. Nothing was left to guesswork.
�(Thursday is) an important day for Eric. It�s an important day for his family, it�s an important day for members of Eric�s platoon,� said Charles Bordeleau, the police department�s superintendent of emergency operations. �So we want to make sure (Wednesday night) that we do this right so that (Thursday) it is the fitting tribute that Eric deserves.�
Czapnik was murdered outside the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus in the early-morning hours of Dec. 29. He was at the hospital on an unrelated call when he was stabbed to death outside the emergency department as he wrote notes in his cruiser.
Kevin Gregson, a suspended RCMP officer, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying.
