Killed in the Line of Duty on the First Day On the Job

Ask any law enforcement officer and they'll tell you that police work is a calling.

Although the men and women who accept this calling may have a few bumps and bruises at the end, the overwhelming majority of LEOs will be able to make it through their career to retirement. Unfortunately, however, 74 officers who started their careers were killed within hours of hitting the streets for the first time.

Officer Melvin Collins

The first, Deputy Sheriff Wesley Cherry, was shot and killed in 1853 while riding on a posse to arrest murder suspects in King County, Washington. He died the day after being shot.

The most recent incident occurred in 2003 when Officer Melvin Collins was shot and killed while working an off-duty security job at a local store in Brunswick, Georgia. Officer Collins had been sworn in three days earlier and hadn't even gone on his first shift when he was slain enforcing the law.

We salute the following 74 officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice on their first day on the job:

Deputy Sheriff Wesley Cherry	King County Sheriff's Office, WA	1853-03-06
Deputy Charles Daly	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA	1857-01-23
Deputized Civilian William Barbee	Burleson County Constable's Office - Precinct 3, TX	1857-05-24
Special Patrolman Thomas Sparks	New York Metropolitan Police Force, NY	1857-07-09
Deputy Constable Richard Ryan	Ophir City Constable's Office, NV	1867-08-31
Deputized Civilian Walter Williams	Storey County Sheriff's Department, NV	1868-07-18
Deputy Sheriff James McMahan	Dallas County Sheriff's Department, TX	1871-01-16
Deputized Civilian David Harvell	Nacogdoches County Constable's Office, TX	1871-12-14
Deputy Sheriff John Morgan	Bosque County Sheriff's Office, TX	1874-12-02
Deputy Sheriff Parker Morgan	Bosque County Sheriff's Office, TX	1874-12-02
Deputy Sheriff James Godley	Anderson County Sheriff's Department, TX	1874-12-13
Special Agent Robert Widdowfield	Union Pacific Railroad Police Department, RR	1878-08-19
Deputy Sheriff Marion Robertson	Erath County Sheriff's Office, TX	1879-03-29
Deputy Sheriff John Ross	Erath County Sheriff's Office, TX	1879-03-29
Deputy Constable William Ash	Terre Haute Police Department, IN	1880-11-27
Special Deputy Sheriff Samuel Meredith	Cooke County Sheriff's Department, TX	1881-05-30
Special Deputy Sheriff Charles Meredith	Cooke County Sheriff's Department, TX	1881-05-30
Deputized Civilian William Fletcher	Brazos County Sheriff's Department, TX	1883-01-15
Posseman James Lathrop	Houston County Sheriff's Department, TX	1884-01-09
Deputy Sheriff John Gardener	Dubois County Sheriff's Department, IN	1885-06-01
Sheriff Benjamin Irey	Chester County Sheriff's Office, PA	1887-01-03
Deputy Sheriff William Cox	Dubois County Sheriff's Department, IN	1887-05-23
Deputized Civilian Jasper Coghlan	Wise County Sheriff's Department, TX	1888-09-08
Posseman Peter Anderson	Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, OK	1890-12-26
Deputized Civilian John Bowers	Tyler County Sheriff's Office, TX	1891-03-18
Deputy Sheriff Joe Brigham	Hunt County Sheriff's Office, TX	1892-12-18
Deputy Sheriff Jesse Hendrickson	Grant County Sheriff's Department, OK	1893-11-11
Deputy Constable James Foster	Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, AL	1895-04-13
City Marshal John Howard	Oklahoma City Police Department, OK	1896-03-10
Deputy Sheriff R. Williams	Gilpin County Sheriff's Department, CO	1896-04-19
Special Deputy Sheriff Jack Allen	Gallatin County Sheriff's Department, MT	1897-01-24
Deputized Civilian Oscar Breaux	Texas Rangers, TX	1898-08-29
Deputy Constable John Lenhart	Somerset County Sheriff's Office, PA	1898-09-18
Special Constable Malachi Beasley	Princess Anne County Sheriff's Office, VA	1898-09-24
Deputy Sheriff William Kremer	Volusia County Sheriff's Department, FL	1898-12-10
Deputy Constable Marvin Durham	Lauderdale County Constable's Office, TN	1900-01-09
Patrolman George Pickett	Pine Bluff Police Department, AR	1901-04-28
Deputy Sheriff George Leftwich	Jack County Sheriff's Department, TX	1901-08-10
Posseman Charles Hill	Valley County Sheriff's Department, MT	1903-06-15
Deputized Civilian Norton Moody	Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Department, TX	1906-03-31
Deputy Marshal Forest Perry	Kennewick Police Department, WA	1906-11-01
Deputized Civilian James Burk	Big Spring Police Department, TX	1907-04-25
Deputized Civilian Dock McDavid	Bastrop County Constable's Office - Precinct 8, TX	1908-08-08
Deputized Civilian John Brooks	Knox County Sheriff's Office, KY	1908-12-22
Special Deputy Sheriff Hillen Munson	Brazoria County Sheriff's Department, TX	1909-09-15
Constable Jay Close	Dundee Police Department, NY	1910-12-24
Policeman Edward Hogle	Nevada State Police, NV	1911-02-26
Deputy Sheriff Abe Schneider	St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, FL	1911-03-05
Deputy Constable William Blake	Shasta County Sheriff's Department, CA	1911-11-25
Deputy Sheriff Arthur Taylor	Harris County Sheriff's Department, TX	1914-05-24
Marshal William Smith	San Fernando Police Department, CA	1914-12-22
Posseman John Garritson	Delaware Marshal's Office, OK	1917-01-06
Deputy Sheriff Orson McRae	Cochise County Sheriff's Department, AZ	1917-07-12
Officer Eugene Lucas	Conshohocken Police Department, PA	1917-08-13
Police Officer Richard Diamond	Detroit Police Department, MI	1917-08-18
Officer Sterling Warren	Fort Worth Police Department, TX	1919-05-07
Special Deputy William Engel	Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department, IN	1919-08-13
Special Officer Webster Gentry	Fort Worth Police Department, TX	1922-04-25
Deputy Sheriff Floyd Rose	Millard County Sheriff's Office, UT	1922-10-02
Rural Police Officer John Fesperman	Mecklenburg County Police Department, NC	1924-02-16
Marshal Henry Hamm	Mulberry Police Department, AR	1924-09-01
Deputy Sheriff Daniel Hutchison	Craig County Sheriff's Office, VA	1926-07-19
Special Deputy Sheriff Leonard Cummings	Lemhi County Sheriff's Department, ID	1928-01-02
Special Deputy Sheriff Billy Withington	Lemhi County Sheriff's Department, ID	1928-01-02
Special Constable James Broome	Dallas County Constable's Office - Precinct 7, TX	1929-12-15
Motorcycle Officer C. Bazzell	Pensacola Police Department, FL	1932-03-16
Special Deputy Sheriff Andrew McGinnis	Muskogee County Sheriff's Office, OK	1932-09-18
Officer James Thornton	St. Petersburg Police Department, FL	1937-10-16
Deputy Sheriff Eduardo Dominguez	Conejos County Sheriff's Department, CO	1940-04-11
Police Officer Henry Scarborough	Myrtle Beach Police Department, SC	1949-03-07
Patrolman Daniel Furtado	Massachusetts State Police, MA	1950-10-08
Patrolman Steven Poetker	Waldo Police Department, AR	1976-04-16
Patrolman Julius Courville	Henderson Police Department, LA	1978-08-26
Officer Melvin Collins	Brunswick Police Department, GA	2003-04-11

Free LODD Response Training Planned for New Jersey, California

Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (US DOJ) have announced two free training seminars for law enforcement agencies in New Jersey and California. These one day training courses will cover the federal Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program, state-specific line of duty death benefits, and the programs made available through C.O.P.S.
  

How will this training benefit you?

When a public safety officer is killed in the line of duty, it is the responsibility of the employing agency to file a death benefit claim with the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB), Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. If approved as a line-of-duty death by PSOB, a tax-exempt death benefit payment is paid to “eligible survivors”. The PSOB presentation will explain the paperwork needed to file a claim, definitions for terms in the eligibility criteria and the process used to review claims. California and New Jersey provide benefits to survivors of fallen public safety officers, and these benefits will also be covered.

C.O.P.S. has programs for all categories of law enforcement survivors to help them along the journey they must take through the grief process. Information on C.O.P.S. will be valuable to law enforcement officers, benefits assistance personnel with the agencies, and law enforcement families.

Speakers at both events will include Hope Janke, Director of Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (US DOJ) and Jennifer Thacker, Director of National Outreach (C.O.P.S.). Jennifer is also the surviving spouse of Kentucky ABC Investigator Brandon Thacker, slain in the line of duty on April 16, 1998. I have worked closely with both Hope and Jennifer and can personally attest to their commitment to helping survivors.

DO NOT wait until your agency suffers a line of duty death to learn about these benefits, because after the event occurs is too late. If you are in Californian or New Jersey register for this free training today. Registration forms are available below:

New Jersey
Monday, November 1, 2010. 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.
New Jersey Forensic Science Technology Center, Auditorium
1200 Negron Drive
Hamilton, NJ 08691

Deadline for registration is October 15, 2010.
Online registration is available at www.nationalcops.org
(or download flier)

California
Monday, December 6, 2010. 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.
Orange County Sheriff's Training Academy
15991 Armstrong Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782

Deadline for registration is November 17, 2010.
Online registration is available at www.nationalcops.org
(or download flier)

Auxiliary Officers: Making the Ultimate Sacrifice for $0 Per Year

On September 7, 2010, Auxiliary Lieutenant Dan Kromer hit the streets, volunteering his personal time to assist the Taylor (Mich.) Police Department in protecting the community. On that fateful night, he was struck by a hit-and-run driver and became the agency's second line of duty death this year. He also became the 131st auxiliary police officer known to be killed in the line of duty in America.

Like all men and women who serve, auxiliary and reserve officers pin on the badge to help their community. They respond to calls, make arrests, backup other officers, and - occasionally - are killed in the line of duty. The only difference is, they do it for free.

Auxiliary and reserve police officers have my utmost respect for the personal sacrifices they make every day. For the 131 brave officers who have given their lives while serving their community, we will ensure their stories and memories live on forever:

Reserve Officer Daniel Donovan	Springfield Police Department, MA
Reserve Officer Louis Wells	Joplin Police Department, MO
Auxiliary Officer Louis Schuetz	Lombard Police Department, IL
Reserve Policeman G. Mogle	Los Angeles Police Department, CA
Auxiliary Officer Arthur Reifeis	Indianapolis Police Department, IN
Auxiliary Police Officer Reuben Caywood	Rockdale Police Department, TX
Reserve Officer Louis Dulisse	Ontario Police Department, CA
Auxiliary Officer Frank Kellogg	Houston Police Department, TX
Auxiliary Policeman William Henhoeffer	Philadelphia Police Department, PA
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Robert Riley	Lane County Sheriff's Department, OR
Reserve Deputy Billy Heckle	San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Bryce Patton	Ventura County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Lee Sawyer	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Auxiliary Sergeant Herbert Goss	Cape Girardeau Police Department, MO
Reserve Officer William Freytag	Rochester Police Department, MN
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Robert Grabner	Kern County Sheriff's Department, CA
Auxiliary Officer Peter Raga	Alliance Police Department, OH
Reserve Officer Andrew Sharp	Minneapolis Police Department, MN
Reserve Deputy Lloyd Constantine	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Auxiliary Police Officer Aldo Santini	Westport Police Department, CT
Reserve Officer Raymond Wilson	West Chicago Police Department, IL
Reserve Officer Lloyd Reed	Minneapolis Police Department, MN
Auxiliary Captain Owen Bender	Florida Highway Patrol, FL
Auxiliary Policeman Stratford Allen	Sharon Police Department, MA
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Michael Wigderson	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Chester Alquist	Washington County Sheriff's Department, OR
Auxiliary Officer Edward Sullivan	Dellwood Police Department, MO
Auxiliary Officer Michael Mills	Reno Police Department, NV
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Charles Rea	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Officer Lester Cole	Palo Alto Police Department, CA
Reserve Motor Deputy Lionel Dashley	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Officer Donald Spingola	San Leandro Police Department, CA
Auxiliary Police Officer Lawrence Kipfinger	Columbus Division of Police, OH
Reserve Officer Ernest Lindemann	Honolulu Police Department, HI
Reserve Officer Andrew Reese	Garden Grove Police Department, CA
Reserve Lieutenant Jimmie Wingate	Marion County Sheriff's Department, IN
Reserve Officer Bill Sutherlin	Fairfield Police Department, IA
Auxiliary Trooper Ormand Watkins	Alabama Department of Public Safety, AL
Reserve Captain Christopher Feeney	Warwick Police Department, RI
Reserve Deputy Larry Mulkey	Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, GA
Reserve Officer Daniel Wickard	Rapid City Police Department, SD
Reserve Officer Joe Jones	Dallas Police Department, TX
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Joshua Rodriguez	Bexar County Sheriff's Department, TX
Auxiliary Police Officer Glenn Wortham	Tulsa Police Department, OK
Reserve Deputy Virgil McGee	Jackson County Sheriff's Department, MO
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Howard Holdefer	Jasper County Sheriff's Department, IA
Auxiliary Officer Walter Hembree	Henryetta Police Department, OK
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Charles Banning	Kern County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Captain Jack Renigar	Forsyth County Sheriff's Department, NC
Auxiliary Sergeant David Freed	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Reserve Deputy Thomas Dunigan	Morgan County Sheriff's Department, IN
Reserve Officer Fred Bergmann	St. Charles Police Department, MO
Auxiliary Policeman William Graves	Sparta Police Department, IL
Auxiliary Captain George Maxin	Willowick Police Department, OH
Reserve Deputy George Pfeil	Seminole County Sheriff's Office, FL
Reserve Deputy James Epp	Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, AZ
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Charles Plumleigh	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Officer Michael Haen	Kansas City Police Department, KS
Reserve Deputy Sheriff James Wier	Harris County Sheriff's Department, TX
Reserve Officer Douglas Krenz	Blaine Police Department, WA
Reserve Officer Eugene Cousins	North Mankato Police Department, MN
Reserve Captain Don Willmon	Angelina County Sheriff's Office, TX
Reserve Officer John Morgan	Goessel Police Department, KS
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Joe Westbrook	Harris County Sheriff's Department, TX
Auxiliary Deputy Arthur Caton	Clay County Sheriff's Office, FL
Reserve Officer Helen Lizama	Guam Police Department, GU
Reserve Officer Rudy Iglesias	Guam Police Department, GU
Reserve Officer Gerald Erickson	Hillsboro Police Department, OR
Reserve Deputy James Healy	Napa County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Gerald Martin	Jennings County Sheriff's Department, IN
Reserve Officer Dennis Harrell	Colleyville Police Department, TX
Reserve Officer James Clifton	Burns Police Department, OR
Reserve Deputy John Litch	Mahoning County Sheriff's Department, OH
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Robert Nicholson	Wilcox County Sheriff's Department, AL
Reserve Deputy John Jamison	Coconino County Sheriff's Department, AZ
Reserve Officer Stuart Taira	Los Angeles Police Department, CA
Auxiliary Deputy Steven Mayer	Will County Sheriff's Office, IL
Reserve Officer Larry Tidwell	McEwen Police Department, TN
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Ray Mallory	Kern County Sheriff's Department, CA
Auxiliary Sergeant Denis Foley	Will County Sheriff's Office, IL
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Errol Rogers	Del Norte County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Officer James Taylor	Dallas Police Department, TX
Reserve Captain Lloyd Brooks	Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Deputy Timothy Ruggles	Placer County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Deputy Chief John Price	Autauga County Sheriff's Department, AL
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Lawrence Breceda	Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department, CA
Auxiliary Lieutenant Nicholas Galasso	Larchmont Police Department, NY
Reserve Deputy Sheriff John Wright	Hawkins County Sheriff's Department, TN
Auxiliary Sergeant Noel Faide	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Auxiliary Sergeant Larry Cohen	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Reserve Deputy Arlyn Gort	Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, MI
Reserve Deputy David McCollum	Bradley County Sheriff's Department, TN
Reserve Deputy Sheriff George Nash	Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department, CA
Auxiliary Officer Aubrey Williams	North Olmsted Police Department, OH
Reserve Deputy Sheriff David Cormier	Monroe County Sheriff's Office, FL
Reserve Officer James Cook	Westlake Police Department, LA
Auxiliary Officer George Starr	Virginia Beach Police Department, VA
Auxiliary Police Officer Armando Rosario	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Auxiliary Trooper Edward Truelove	Connecticut State Police, CT
Reserve Sergeant Scott Collins	Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, OR
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Mark Whitehead	Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, OR
Reserve Officer Lonnie Howard	North Vernon Police Department, IN
Auxiliary Police Officer Ty Massey	Colona Police Department, IL
Auxiliary Officer Todd Johnson	Rock Island Police Department, IL
Auxiliary Captain Richard Shurtz	Rock Island Police Department, IL
Auxiliary Deputy James Cartledge	McCormick County Sheriff's Department, SC
Auxiliary Police Officer Milton Clarke	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Reserve Officer Theodore Brassinga	Palo Alto Police Department, CA
Auxiliary Trooper Phillip Mingione	Connecticut State Police, CT
Reserve Deputy Fred Feuser	Camden County Sheriff's Department, MO
Police Reserve Robert McMaster	Warrenton Police Department, OR
Reserve Deputy Donald Mitchell	Moore County Sheriff's Office, TX
Reserve Deputy Gary Cook	Rogers County Sheriff's Office, OK
Reserve Deputy Tracy Miles	Johnson County Sheriff's Office, IN
Reserve Officer Johnnie Clanton	New Orleans Police Department, LA
Reserve Deputy Barry Shelton	Sullivan County Sheriff's Department, TN
Reserve Lieutenant Alfred Garrison	Lantana Police Department, FL
Reserve Deputy Deborah Hobbs	Lake County Sheriff's Office, MT
Reserve Officer Russell Simpson	Bandon Police Department, OR
Reserve Deputy John Sandlin	Solano County Sheriff's Department, CA
Reserve Sergeant James Johnson	Forsyth County Sheriff's Department, NC
Reserve Sergeant Joseph Pozell	Metropolitan Police Department, DC
Reserve Deputy Constable Nehemiah Pickens	Harris County Constable's Office - Precinct 6, TX
Reserve Officer Matthew Tuttle	Chelsea Police Department, MI
Reserve Deputy Lawrence Barnes	Ross County Sheriff's Office, OH
Auxiliary Police Officer Nicholas Pekearo	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Auxiliary Police Officer Yevgeniy (Eugene) Marshalik	New York City Police Department - Auxiliary Police Section, NY
Reserve Deputy Joe Galloway	Holmes County Sheriff's Office, FL
Reserve Deputy Mike Wilken	Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, MN
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Henry Willeford	Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, AR
Auxiliary Lieutenant Dan Kromer	Taylor Police Department, MI