“SHOTS fired! Officer down! Suspect down!” In the parlance of the police world, these words crackling over the radio are guaranteed to crank the adrenaline to peak levels. Hearing them is tough enough. Speaking them is the worst nightmare of all. Especially if you are the offi- cer down and it is your bul- lets in the suspect. On Oct. 22, 1984, Vancouver Police Const. Gary Cameron went through one minute and 20 seconds of sheer terror facing a crazed man with a knife, ina hand- to-hand struggle which resulted in Cameron being stabbed under his left armpit, terrifyingly close to his heart cavity. The assailant was lying dead, hit with all six bullets from Cameron’s revolver at point blank range, plus a sev- enth fired by an off-duty, plainctothes officer who, as Cameron’s luck would have it on that fateful day, was pass- ing by when he saw and heard the life and death struggle. Life in the mean streets can be, and frequently is, a heart beat between life and death. In Cameron's case, he walked into what he thought was a simple disturbance in a bread line only to discover a stabbing victim and a nearby suspect. Cameron went after _ the-armied man who immedi- ately. turned on the officer. _ What followed changed ; Cameron’ s life forever. Gary Cameron was always “one of the boys.” Carrying a o few more pounds over his Sam Browne belt than would be considered healthy, he was a jovial figure who lived for ‘his job and the city he pro- tected. In a “work hard, play. hard” world, -Gary could be _ counted on for both. ROAD~ Leo Knight ; crime and By) Sunisisment Sitting in the pub after another shift in the sordid underbelly of a Vancouver most never even dream of, Cameron would hold court swapping “war stories” over a cool and consoling beer. He occasionally would say he should write a took about life in the mean streets. It is a frequent musing when cops get together telling of their adventures that “people just wouldn’t believe.” Life went on for Cameron in as reasonably ordered a fashion as could be expected, given the hell hole he worked in. Until he drove by that bread line. They buried the knife- wielding assailant before Cameron recovered from his wounds. When he went back to work, he was unsure how he would handle another knife call, virtually a daily event in his world. But he did. On his first shift back, he attended a strikingly similar call. He had his gun drawn, pointed at a man with a knife who was threatening to kill a _ cop. That incident worked out all righ t, but Cameron double-clutched and ques- tioned himself and his han- dling of the situation. hile he waited for the investigation results and the judgment of the coroner’s inquest, he became much more introspective, re-living the incident over and over again, trying to sort out his emotions. He felt alienated from a police department striving to ensure its collec- tive ass was covered. He found himself in the centre of a media maelstrom in the lat- est of a string of “shoot, don’t shoot” debates. At the inquest he told his story. He did his level best to explain he did everything he could and nothing would nave prevented the ultimate course of events. Essentially, he said “there is no guaran- teed safe way of disarming someone who is threatening to stab you. Anyone who chims otherwise is just plain wrong.” He was ultimately exoner- ated for his use of Icthal force. The jury came our with some half-baked ideas about secking other alternative non- lethal ways of dealing with knife-wielding people. Obviously, nobody actually listened to the words of the man who had been there. Over the next couple of years, he noticed there were differences in the way he han- dled violent situations. He felc something was seriously wrong but couldn’t put his finger on it. He found his hand shaking one night in taking down suspects in a mahnwox gun call, something he'd never experienced before. He began to second guess his decisions. His situation deteriorated until he booked off work and sought the help of a psychol- ogist. He was diagnosed with Post ‘Traumatic Stress Disorder. WCB, in its usual unsympathetic manner, called it “burnout” and offered no relief. His sick time used up, he was faced with going back to a job he no longer felt confident he could do. He was terrified of making the wrong decision. Due back to work on Tuesday, and dreading it, his luck changed. On Saturday night, he won the 6/49 jack- pot. Not huge money, but enough thar, with prudent investments, he could five comtortably without ever having to return to the mean streets, T had lunch with Gary last week. He is a contented man now. He still has the demons of those days visiting him in the night. But he can cope with them. He still has those extra pounds, but instead of hanging over a Sam Browne, they rest comfortably on a pair of Dockers. onnecnerae mapatehrarant ner Spreading Royal rot Dear Editor: I’ve said it before: when Noel Wright gets on to British roy- alry and pageantry he goes all funny. On Wednesday last (Jan. 21) he was all over PM Tony Blair for being bent on dispensing with 450-year-old ceremonies, such as Tudor dressed yeomen looking for gunpowder in the cellar. And now today ‘UJan. 25) he’s complaining about the state of ex-Brits’ pensions. If he’d stopped to think that if the new British Prime Minister got rid of all that costly antiquated deadwood over there, he might be in a better position to do something about all those unfortunate pensioners over here. Denis Mason West Vancouver Wednesday, February 4, 1998 — North Shore News — 7 Shots Fired book hits police story mark He is learning a different business now. He has pub- lished his first book called Shots Fired. Ic is a gritty, dis- turbing and humerous look at the life of a street cop in Canada. His life. For anyone who wants to know what it’s really like, get this book. You'll feel the ‘urea. Cooling exhilaration of a chase, smet! the stench of a murder, feel the frustration of fighting an archaic justice system and maybe, just mayb:, you'll thank God for the men and women who protect our streets, forever grateful you don’t have to do it yourself. — lknight@direct.ca PENNzO! stem Service approved | Complete rad flush plus oil & filter change, including all materials 1362 Marine Drive 980-9115 Mon-Sat 8:00am-6:00prn, Sun. 9:00am-5:00eEm Empires Feb. 13, 98 __ Chris Carter's FREE RRSP Best Ideas Kit priyour. copy CALL 925°5565 MIDLAND WALWYN O1ed Core Terenas CHRIS CARTER FINANCIAL ADVISOR Email: chris.carter@midwal.ca W ™Blue Chip Thinking is a trademark of Midland Walwyn Capital Inc. §.Laursen & Son Dra eries and Slings Ltd. ae) Serving the SYA wo Mainland since I 197, t N= Another one of our designs. For Free Estimate call Ae Ags or 987-2966 about our Seniors Discount) gee $10.50 per panel unlined, $11.50 lined. a Low Low. Parcs £ ICBC RATES ROZEN "8 RATE. SAF ET “y* RESULTS" K RITISH COLUMBIA’s road safety program is starting to 4A show results. BC drivers are slowing down. There were 29 fewer deaths and 1,500 fewer injuries on BC roads last year than in 1996, and the average costs of ICBC claims declined. Because of that progress, there will be no increase in ICBC rates in 1998. increase. It’s the third consecutive year without an BC’ S DRIVE TO EY TO, 1/9 '9 FREEZE The way we drive is the key factor in determining BC’s insurance rates. If we continue to drive more carefully, we can reduce crashes, save lives and help keep our rates affordable for years to come. The 1998 ICBC rate freeze — just one of the benefits of cracking down on dangerous driving. For an information package, call 1 800 663-ICBC. SAVE LIVES