episode 24 season 1

   William (Bill) Shelever "we will do everything to see his death was not in vain"

Having friends in the police force in Calgary raining from Detectives to K-9 and surveillance makes me reflect on their jobs and skills - their sheer determination to make our streets better - safer. Having been on a "ride-a-long" (check our my blog for these stories - maybe a future podcast) and seeing what they go through first hand also makes me contemplate the sheer magnitude and intimate nature of the job. Going into peoples homes, searching people and speaking directly about the concerns at hand. Very intimate and personal. So when I came across this article well many articles about this fallen policeman I wanted to pay tribute to this story from the 1970's.

The CPS (Calgary Police Service) with 2200 sworn members, 1000 unsworn members and 8 stations. Having the first female police Chief in Canada, Christine Silverberg. Since inception in 1885 the CPS has lost 11 officers in the line of duty:

1917 – Constable Arthur Duncan (gunfire)1933 – Inspector Joe Carruthers (gunfire)1941 – Constable Wilf Cox (motorcycle collision)1957 – Constable Ken Delmage (motorcycle collision)1974 – Detective Boyd Davidson (gunfire)1976 – Staff Sgt. Keith Harrison (gunfire)1977 – Constable Bill Shelever (gunfire)1992 – Constable Rob Vanderwiel (gunfire)1993 – Constable Rick Sonnenberg (hit while attempting to stop stolen vehicle)

Rick Sonnenburg Memorial off Deerfoot Trail SE

In 1993, as a direct result of the hit and run death of Constable Rick Sonnenberg, the Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety (HAWCS unit) was created, and the Calgary Police Service became the first law enforcement agency in Canada to incorporate the use of air support into its routine operations. In 2006, the unit was expanded when a second helicopter was purchased.

2000 – Constable John Petropoulos (injuries sustained in fall)2001 – Constable Darren Beatty (injuries sustained during training exercise)

I will be featuring William Bill Shelever who lost his life to gunfire in 1977 as one of these 11. 

May 24, 1977

The scene shows two police cruisers under the light of the street lamps, with a neon plant sign overhead, one police officer running toward the camera another ring is lit up and sales Pro Shop, caption reads "police at shooting scene in downtown calgary....after two officers were shot near restaurant. They were shot in their mobile office they were shot in their squad car on 8 avenue SW. Them as well as another assailment - a known robber was also shot on Friday. One of these officers William (Bill) Shelever, just 31 years old and only 6 weeks on the job was shot in the head. The other officer was 26 years old and he was shot in the groin. The suspect, Roy Glaremin only 22 years old was shot in the chest and buttocks...and was satisfactory after surgery saved his life once a few bullets were removed and he was sewn up.

The story goes something like this: There was a holdup Friday afternoon at the jean Joint, downtown Calgary a separate incident. The two policemen men Shelever and Pedersen were patrolling downtown around 1am when they saw a man that fit this description (Roy Glaremin) the culprit from earlier. When they approached him they asked him to come back to the Police car, while there, Shelver made an unsuccessful attempt to take the gun away -Glaremin demanded that the two officers turned over their guns and Pedersen stalled trying to get handcuffs and flashlight.They checked him (not like a full search) and put him in the back of the car...The fact that he was a suspect didn't produce the official signal of a true/ thorough search then he/the suspect pulled a revolver immediately and shot Shelever once in the back of the head, the second officer went to flee the vehicle and was shot two times. Once in the leg and another time in the buttocks however another news article says one of these slugs hit his Peter...