Thought-about a legendary Calgary police officer, George Rocks cared concerning the individuals and the humanity of investigating murder circumstances
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Investigating homicide is likely one of the hardest jobs in policing, however for former Calgary Employees Sgt. George Rocks, it was rewarding work.
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Former colleagues, journalists and family members are remembering Rocks, who died at age 74 on Thursday after a battle with aggressive incurable thyroid most cancers.
Rocks started his profession in policing in 1970 and spent greater than eight years heading the murder unit on the Calgary police till 2002. Rocks retired in 2005 after 35 years within the power.
Investigators solved a powerful variety of circumstances beneath Rocks, clearing 72 of 79 homicides since 1997. At one level, the unit had cleared 47 circumstances in a row.
“He was a gentleman. He was actually supportive,” mentioned George Bushell, who labored beneath Rocks as a murder detective. Again then, solely six cops had been tasked with investigating homicide circumstances.
Bushell mentioned Rocks not solely fought to get them the assets they wanted to research circumstances correctly, however he additionally supported officers of their private lives as effectively.
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“George was an amazing man to work for, and a really particular particular person,” he mentioned. “It’s an incredible loss.”
Former Calgary police chief Rick Hanson knew Rocks from when he labored as a patrol officer till the time he took cost of the murder unit.
What made him stand out was his dedication to the individuals whose lives had been impacted by violence. The sufferer and the sufferer’s family members actually mattered to him, Hanson mentioned.
“Murder is likely one of the hardest jobs within the police service. Working in that high-pressure atmosphere, typically you see some fairly horrific scenes,” he mentioned.
“They at all times did such high quality work, and so they by no means forgot who they had been working for: the sufferer’s households.”
Rocks was emotional when speaking to the Calgary Herald in a 2008 article concerning the homicide of two step-brothers Derek Lynes, 4, and Phelan Layng, 3, in 1999. He spoke about how homicides involving kids had been particularly troublesome for him.
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Hanson mentioned his dedication to the sufferer’s households and holding these accountable accountable left an affect on the police power.
“He cared about his detectives, and he actually cared concerning the households, the victims, and made certain that his work mirrored that. That’s what made him such a category act.”
Journalists are used to doing investigative work of their very own when protecting crime however Peter Smith, the longtime crime reporter for the Calgary Solar, mentioned Rocks by no means hesitated to take his name.
“He by no means as soon as misplaced endurance with me begging him for info in any respect hours of the day and night time,” Smith mentioned, including he might belief Rocks to inform him if info was correct or not.
Ultimately, Rocks and Smith grew to become shut mates and hung out fishing on the Bow River collectively. Earlier than Rocks died, Smith despatched him a criminal offense novel manuscript during which the lead murder detective is loosely based mostly on him.
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“He had time to learn it earlier than he handed away and he was very happy with it,” Smith mentioned. “I used to be very unhappy when his household contacted me and advised me he handed away.”
Rocks’ daughter Julie Rocks mentioned she remembers individuals calling her dad “Mr. Murder” due to his dedication to the job. For Rocks, investigations weren’t nearly who dedicated the crime.
“It was greater than that. It was about being an actual particular person with emotions, and placing your self in that state of affairs,” she mentioned. “He was at all times working for the victims and his households.”
The lack of her father is a devastating blow, Julie mentioned. Since his loss of life, she mentioned she has heard numerous tales from others about how he made a distinction of their lives.
“He has touched so many lives, so many individuals’s lives and I don’t even know if he actually knew that. It’s simply who he’s.”
bgervais@postmedia.com
Twitter: @BrittGervaisAB
