Reg.#35186  ·  Corporal Randell Scott Leamen Matr.#35186  ·  Caporal Randell Scott Leamen

Police cadets are taught about the ever present dangers of the law enforcement profession from the moment they first arrive at the Police Academy. As well, the principle thrust of scenerio-based training at the Police Academy is to place the cadets in life-like situations whereby they learn and demonstrate proven strategies to protect their own life as well as the lives of other people.

The upshot of real life scenerios is to ensure that cadets adopt a full thinking and analytical mind of a police officer and do not allow themselves a moment of complacency or relaxation while they are on duty and on the street. The short piece which follows is dedicated to Corporal ‘Randy’ Leamen, a friend whom I met in Toronto many years ago. Randy was wounded by bandits and he nearly lost his life in a very unexpected deadly situation. It was March 15th, 1980.

According to Edmonton news reports, a call was phoned into the Fort Saskatchewan Detachment that shots were fired at a hardware store in nearby Lamont, AB. Earlier in the day, Constable Leamen had stopped and checked the occupants of a suspicious car leaving Lamont and when he heard of the shooting, he went to find the suspicious car again.

Constable Leamen found the car and when he approached the passenger side door, one of three men inside suddenly pulled a .38-calibre revolver and fired hitting Constable Leamen three times. Other RCMP rushed to the scene, and the three suspects were arrested shortly afterwards.

After undergoing surgery at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, medical staff announced that two bullets grazed Randy’s neck and his wrist and one bullet was removed from his lower abdomen.

On that day, there can be no doubt that Constable Leamen never expected to be shot, but he no doubt saved his own life by immediately taking a crouch position which took his body out of a further line of fire. Essentially Randy saved his own life through his responsiveness to effective police training.

Randy Leamen joined the Force in 1978, and he retired in 2015 after having served throughout Alberta and southern Ontario. His life was filled with generosity and compassion and he considered his time on earth as one miracle after another. His mind thought about what he could do for other people — as a Scout leader, camp counsellor, ringette referee, hockey trainer, active church member, and a trumpeter at the Newmarket, ON., Remembrance Day Ceremony. Randy was a kidney transplant recipient for over 27 years.

Randy Leamen died on May 22, 2017 at the age of 63 years. His obituary described him as, “a truly great man”. No one would disagree.

Randy’s obituary continued. It said, “Randy Leamen, a truly great man, left us on May 22, 2017 at the age of 63. The ripple effect of his life is extensive. He lived a very blessed life and received more miracles than he thought any one person could deserve. A proud RCMP officer for 36 years, and kidney transplant recipient for 27 years, he devoted his life to serving others as a Scout leader, camp counsellor, ringette referee, hockey trainer, active church member, and trumpeter at the Newmarket Remembrance Day ceremony. Randy leaves behind his first and only love, Heather Hobbs, his loving wife of 38 years, and three children Lindsey, Katie (Adam) and Travis (Megan).”

I would like to thank Toronto RCMP Veteran Jack O’Reilly for sending me the Edmonton newspaper articles which made this short memorial about Randy Leamen possible.

Reporting from Fort Healy,

J. J. Healy
May 23, 2017