Constable Robert John Vanderwiel
Calgary Police Service
Alberta
End of Watch: Tuesday, September 22, 1992

Biographical Info
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Not available
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Officer Vanderwiel was conducting what was believed to be a routine traffic stop. While returning to his car to check some I.D. he was shot in the back of the neck. He died instantly at the scene. The suspect, a former policeman from Jamaica who was in Canada illegally was charged and convicted.

His death re-emphasized the need for officers to alert the communications centre to their location and to forward license plate numbers of cars they pull over, particularly when working alone. Had he done this , the outcome would have been the same but had the injury been less serious the potentially improved response time could save a life.