Calgary police mark 100 years since first officer killed in the line of duty

Calgary police marked a sombre anniversary on Sunday 100 years since the first officer was killed in the line of duty.

On the evening of July 1, 1917, Const. Arthur Duncan was patrolling alone, and when he didn't check in with the station at 1 a.m., then again at 2 a.m., his colleagues launched a search.

A few hours later, his body was found between two buildings where the University of Calgary's downtown campus now sits at Eighth Street and Eighth Avenue S.W.

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He had been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the jaw. His gun was still in its holster.

Police believe he may have surprised one or more people recovering stolen property from the Revelstoke Lumber Company.

Despite an exhaustive investigation, Duncan's killer was never found.

The shooting lead to a short-lived creation of a canine unit of sorts.

"Immediately someone went out and got Airedale terrier puppies and they decided that would be the canine unit, and so they tied them up outside of city hall and you know, fed and watered them," explained Laurie Salter with the police museum.

"And after a few days it came to occur to them that nobody actually knew how to train a police canine, so they found homes for the puppies and that was the end of that."

It took another 40 years for the official canine unit to be formed, which today includes about 22 members mainly German shepherds which help on thousands of calls a year.

In the century since Duncan's death, Calgary police Chief Roger Chaffin says there have been many procedural and technological changes made to keep officers safe.

"I think we do a very good job keeping our people safe but it's always a bar to keep rising," he told CBC News.

"You're out there trying to do your job and you just can't always tell when something is about to happen and it's always a struggle trying to keep that balance of your safety in mind while you're engaging with communities and always in the back of your head wondering, 'Could that ever happen to me?'"

In total, 11 Calgary police officers have been killed in the line of duty.

• Const. Darren Beatty, 2001.
• Const. John D. Petropoulos, 2000.
• Const. Richard Sonnenberg, 1993.
• Const. Robert Vanderweil, 1992.
• Staff Sgt. Keith Harrison, 1977.
• Const. William (Vasili) Shelever, 1977.
• Detective Boyd Davidson, 1974.
• Const. Kenneth John Delmage, 1957.
• Const. Wilfred James Cox, 1941.
• Insp. Joseph Carruthers, 1933.
• Const. Arthur Duncan, 1917.