Inquiry begins into death of peace officer, Rod Lazenby, killed while responding to dog complaint

A fatality inquiry began Monday into the death of Rod Lazenby, an Alberta peace officer who was killed while responding to an animal complaintin 2012.

Lazenby, who was working for the Municipal District of Foothills, was sent to investigate a dogcomplaint in August 2012when he was attacked on arural property near Priddis, south of Calgary.

TrevorKloschinskyadmitted to killing Lazenby on his property, but was found to be delusional and therefore not criminally responsible.

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A psychiatrist testified Kloschinsky was "actively psychotic" when he attacked Lazenby and probably didn't realize he was doing anything wrong.

Following the attack, Kloschinsky drove an unconscious and handcuffed Lazenby to a southeast Calgary police station, where he told officers he had apprehended a "dog thief" before being arrested.

Lazenby was taken to hospital in critical condition where he was later died.

Colleagues of Lazenby say not enough has been done since his death to better protect peace officers.

Darlene Roblin, a sergeant in charge of peace officers in the Foothills District, says she wants the province to regulate the training and resources available to enforcement officers.

"Today we have officers in this province doing enforcement functions, enforcing provincial legislation and municipal bylaw legislation, with nothing," she told CBC News. "No handcuffs, no body armour, no pepper spray, no baton, no communications with the dispatch centre. And that is wrong."

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Roblin will testify at the inquiry.

Criminologist Dawn Rault told CBC News the slain peace officer would have been better protected if he'd been warned in advance about who he was going to encounter.

"I do hope that every bylaw and peace officer in the province and beyond has access to reliable forms of communication, has access to very basic forms of personal protective equipment, such as bulletproof ballistic vests," she said.

"And also has access to intelligence so that they know when they walk up to a residence or they're dealing with an individual they have a bit more background information on who that individual is and if they, for example, have more of a criminal record in that case."

Lazenby worked with the RCMP in Ontario for over 35 years many of them as an undercover officer in the homicide unit. He retired in 2006 and took a job as a bylaw enforcement officer in High River, Alta., where his daughter and grandchildren live.

The inquiry is scheduled to run all week.

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