Constable John D. Petropoulos
Calgary Police Service
Alberta
End of Watch: Friday, September 29, 2000

Biographical Info
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Fall
Date of Incident: Friday, September 29, 2000
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Constable John Petropoulos, was two weeks short of his fourth-year anniversary with the force. The officer responded to a break-and-enter alarm about 5:30 a.m. at Red Carpet Food Services, 5622 Burleigh Cres. S.E. He was the final stages of searching a compartment in the ceiling for a suspect when he lost his footing and fell three metres to the concrete floor. He landed on the back of his head, suffering critical head and spinal injuries.

"His death has sent a wave of shock and sorrow through (police) District 6 in particular, and it has devastated his classmates and peers," said a sombre police Chief Christine Silverberg. "I am personally and deeply shaken by the loss of yet another officer."

The alarm at the warehouse in the Manchester industrial area turned out to be false. Silverberg said the alarm was triggered by a forklift operator. Constable Petropoulos had entered the building through the front door, then climbed a ladder into what appeared to be a second floor. The officer was conducting a thorough investigation in the ceiling area when it gave way, plunging him head-first to the floor.

"This is a combination of circumstances in which no one is to blame and we harbour no bitterness that there is no cause for this fall," Silverberg said. "I think officers have a shared understanding of the risks of the job and to have one of their own killed in this manner is truly tragic, but it brings home what this job is really like."

Constable Petropoulos was married to a civilian police service employee. Besides his wife he is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister.