BUCHOLTZ: Surrey police officer’s death still resonates after decades
Published 9:00 am Thursday, April 2, 2026
Tom Zillich’s recent story on the anniversary of the death of Surrey RCMP Const. Roger Pierlet brought back a lot of memories.
Pierlet was tragically murdered by two men who wanted to kill a police officer, on March 29, 1974. The terrible tragedy took place on Highway 15 just south of Cloverdale along Highway 15. Pierlet, 23, was making a
routine traffic stop in the middle of the night when he was shot by Vincent
Cockriell, 18, who was drunk and looking to kill a police officer. He blamed
police for the death of his brother, who had been killed during a high-speed
chase.
For those of us who lived in Cloverdale at that time, it was a terrible shock.
We were used to seeing RCMP officers almost daily, as the police station was located in Cloverdale. Many RCMP officers lived in Cloverdale – they were our neighbours.
Pierlet is the only one of six police officers in Surrey who have died on duty to have been murdered. The others were all killed in traffic collisions. Two of them were riding police motorcycles at the
time.
The fact that Pierlet’s killing was so deliberate and cold-blooded made it particularly brutal – and that sense of brutality has not gone away.
Cockriell and his co-accused, John Harvey Miller, were accused of capital murder and could have faced the death penalty, which at the time was still in place for the killing of police officers and prison guards. They were found guilty but never sentenced to hang.
In tribute to the fallen officer, the Highway 15 overpass south of Cloverdale, built to cross the railway tracks, was named in memory of Roger Pierlet. He was a native of Montreal, was engaged to be married a few months later and was working his final shift before taking a short holiday with his parents, who were flying out from Montreal.
A street at Depot, the RCMP training centre in Regina, was also named in his memory. Pierlet’s body is buried at
Depot.
One positive thing which came out of the incident, albeit many years later, was the reunion of Pierlet’s fiancée Debby McLachlan with other members of his family. They were able to meet in person at the RCMP National Memorial service
at Depot Division in Regina last September. They had not been in touch since his death.
Also attending the service in Regina were retired RCMP members Eric LaFoy and Drewe Nelson, who were able to stop and arrest Cockriell and Miller on Highway 1 near Aldergrove shortly after the murder. LaFoy wrote about the 2025 memorial in a quarterly RCMP magazine. He credited the Now-Leader for writing about the 50th anniversary of Pierlet’s murder for helping people so closely associated with him to get together.
Part of the article LaFoy wrote sums up the importance of remembrance.
“This story, although unique in itself, still brings home the value and importance of honouring all our fallen members who have sacrificed their lives trying to serve and protect our fellow Canadians,” LaFoy wrote. “Not forgetting the
value in also paying tribute to the families of these fallen members, who on
occasion get left behind. We will remember them.”
As Surrey residents, it is important for all of us to value and honour the service provided by police, now under the authority of Surrey Police Service. They do their very best to keep us safe.
Frank Bucholtz writes twice monthly on political issues for Black Press Media publications.