Jan
7
RIP – Eric Czapnik
I had another article all prepared in my head, but that will have to wait.
On Dec. 29, Ottawa Police Constable Eric Czapnik died in the line of duty in front of one of the area hospitals here in the city. Sounds like, at the time, he was in his cruiser doing paper work when the suspect attacked and stabbed him to death. More details here.
This is affecting me a bit more than I thought it would…and I know why. When I was laid off waaaay back in the day, I was pursuing a career with the Ottawa Police. I got as far as the interview stage…which I hear is a nice achievement…but didn’t make it past that stage the first time through. I didn’t try again because, finally after 14 months, I found a job in high-tech again. In preparation for the interview and making sure I actually wanted to do Police work, I went on two ride-alongs with the Ottawa Police. I was impressed…very impressed with everyone I met, including the officer I was with (…who was a cook before and tried 5 times to get into the service…great story there…). They were all funny, and obviously loved what they did. Even with that brief ride-along experience, I did feel a bit of a connection (…kind of strange…I know…) and I guess that is why this news is quite sad for me. It was strange, but during the ride along, they did make me feel like a part of the team…as non-existent as that part actually was 
So…my condolences to the family of Eric and to the Ottawa Police service.
D out.
