Sgt William Wright

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Sergeant William Wright

19 Feb 1863 William Wright 72

D.O.D, February 18, 1863

During times of small pox, we had a few officers die from contracting it while on duty. One of these officers had to subdue a subject he knew to have small pox in order to keep him from spreading it to people in the community. As he was running around like a mad man, the officer tackled and subdued him, thereby contracting the disease and passing away from it himself. So the patrolman basically risked his life and then gave his life to protect those he swore to protect. We'll try to find more on Sgt. Wright; I know at one time we had more. One of the articles that had one of the other two fallen officers said that, in addition to the officer they were reporting on, we lost two others to small pox. Sgt. Wright and one of those other officers. Line of duty illness was largely ignored in the 1700s, 1800s, and early 1900s If an officer dies from anything work-related, they should be honored and remembered. But the city doesn't, or didn't agree; they might just be coming around to it. I don't think all deaths are Medal of Honor worthy, but definitely all of them deserve recognition and reemergence. After all, had it not been for the job, they would have lived a longer, fuller life. So how can they be ignored? The city's answer was that it used to come down to money. I am glad that even though it is late, we are able to give these men and women the recognition they and their families' deserve. The site currently has more than 200 fallen officers that have died while on duty or as a direct result of something duty-related. We will keep researching our police and including the names and stories as we find them. If you know of an officer who passed away as a result of the job, send us the information, and we'll research it and add them to the list of fallen heroes.

More details

Name	Description
End of Watch	18 Feb 1863
City, St.	UNK
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Small Pox

POLICE INFORMATION

Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and/or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and/or Brochures Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll.

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Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to honor the fine men and women who have served with honor and distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist, like us on Facebook or mail pictures to 8138 Dundalk Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21222

Lt Richard Chanowith

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Lieutenant Richard Chanowith

18 Aug 1870 Lt Richard Chanowith lodd

D.O.D 17 Aug 1870

On August 17, 1870, the Baltimore Police Department mourned the sudden and tragic loss of Lieutenant Richard Chanowith. Lieutenant Chanowith, who was in his late 30s, passed away while serving his community with dedication and honor.

Lieutenant Chanowith’s career with the Baltimore Police Department was marked by his unwavering commitment to public safety and his leadership within the force. He served at the Middle District Police Station, where he was highly respected by his colleagues and the community he protected.

The circumstances surrounding Lieutenant Chanowith’s death were sudden and unexpected. On that fateful day, he was performing his duties when he collapsed. Despite immediate efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. His passing left a profound impact on the department and the city of Baltimore.

Lieutenant Chanowith’s funeral ceremonies took place at his residence at #85 Garden Street on August 20, 1870, at 10 a.m. and was attended by numerous dignitaries, including members of the police board, Commissionar James E. Carr, Deputy Marshal Fry, Captain Mitchell, and a portion of the officers from the night shift of the middle district, under the command of Lieutenant Gladson and Sergeant Harney, along with friends, family, and other fellow officers, who gathered to pay their respects and honor his memory. The services were conducted at the house by Rev. Mr. Gilbert of the Disciples Church. After the services, the funeral cortege proceeded to the Baltimore Cemetery, where the remains were interred in accordance with Masonic rites.

Lieutenant Chanowith’s legacy lives on as a reminder of the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers in the line of duty. His dedication to protecting the citizens of Baltimore will never be forgotten.

More Details

Name	Description
End of Watch	17 Aug 1870
City, St.	UNK
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Paralysis

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Lt Charles H. McClean

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Lieutenant Charles H McClean

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Police Force Mourns

9 July 1918

Eight lieutenants are to be pallbearers for Lieutenant McClean. The Police Force of Baltimore united today in mourning the death of Lieutenant Charles H. McClean, of the Northern District, who shot and killed himself yesterday [July 8, 1918] afternoon at his home, 2018 West Fayette Street. Arrangements for the funeral, to be conducted by the police Department, are being made by Captain Hurley of the Northern District. After a conference with Mrs. McClean, it was arranged that eight lieutenants, one from each district, would form an escort. His body was taken home this morning from Franklin Square Hospital, where he was hurried when found yesterday. A steady stream of callers came to the house expressing sympathy to Mrs. McClean. Members of the family are now positive that mental derangement, caused by fear of another attack of paralysis, was responsible for the suicide.

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More Details

Name	Description
End of Watch	8 July 8, 1918
City, St.	2018 West Fayette St
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Suicide
District Worked	Northern

POLICE INFORMATION

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Sgt. Benjamin Graham

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Sgt Benjamin Graham

Sgt. Benjamin Graham

Obituaries

The Baltimore Sun, Monday, 17 June 1895
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17 June 1895

Sgt. Benjamin Graham, a retired member of the Baltimore Police Department, died yesterday [16, 1895] at his home, located at 2010 Canton Ave. He was in his seventy-sixth year of life. He had been on the police department's retired list since April 22, 1880. His death came as the result of a complication caused by troubles brought about by injuries received while he was on active duty. While on duty eleven years earlier, Sgt. Graham was badly injured after being struck by a coasting sleigh. It was those injuries that caused his retirement from the force and subsequently ended his life. At the time of his service, he was assigned to the Eastern District, where he had served for the last thirteen years of his service.

The sergeant had an eventful career. He was born in Somerset County, Maryland, and started out early in his youth to become a sailor. In his seafaring years, he was shipwrecked twice, sailed around Cape Horn half a dozen times, and made a circuit of the world once. When he was eighteen years old, he was on the ship Mary Kimball, which was wrecked in mid-ocean and whose crew drifted about for several days in the ship's lifeboat until rescued by an English bark and landed at Liverpool. He also served on the ships Governor Davis, Mary Anne, Richard Cobden, and the French bark Lillia of Marseille between the time of his first wreck and 1845. In that year, he went to New Orleans on the transport ship America, from which port she took troops to Vera Cruz for the Mexican War. He was in the Baltimore clipper ship Republic when she was wrecked in 1848 off the coast of Ireland. After that, he was in ships in the South American trade and sailed around to the Pacific, then came back east and entered as second-mate vessels that ran in the China trade. Next, he tried his luck in the California gold fields for about eight months and then came back to Baltimore.

In 1857, Sergeant Graham was appointed to the Baltimore Police Department, where he remained until after the April Riots, with the Massachusetts Troops as they were passing through Baltimore on April 19, 1861. He was compelled to resign due to political differences, but in 1867 he was reappointed to the force and made a sergeant, serving until his retirement. Sgt. Graham was married twice; his second wife and seven children survive him. Mr. George W. Graham, an employee of the Baltimore Post Office, is his son.

When a coasting sleigh struck Sergeant Benjamin Graham while he was on duty, he suffered complications from the injuries he had sustained approximately 11 years earlier.The injuries caused him to medically retire on April 22nd, 1886. He never fully recovered, and he died on June 16th, 1895, after developing gangrene and septicemia as a result of the initial injury. The exact date and location where the injury occurred are not known.

Sergeant Graham had served with the Baltimore City Police Department for a total of 23 years. His second wife and seven children survived him. Prior to joining the police department in 1857, Sergeant Graham served as a sailor and had been shipwrecked twice.

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More Details

Name	Description
End of Watch	16 June 1895
City, St.	2010 Canton Ave
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Complications from LODI
District Worked	Eastern

POLICE INFORMATION

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Sgt Paul E. Meeks

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Sergeant Paul E. Meeks Dies

Police Officer Stricken Suddenly with Apoplexy at his Home

26 Dec 1915

Sergeant Paul Meeks died suddenly from an apoplexy as he was leaving his house to head into work for his shift. The 37-year-old Sergeant lived in the 1900 block . of Mosher St. The sergeant, who had enjoyed excellent health, turned to his wife, told her he wasn't feeling right, and asked that she summon the family doctor. By the time the physician arrived, the sergeant was dead. . The good sergeant left behind a widow and four children, one of whom was blind.

Meeks joined the police force on August 15, 1901, and was assigned to the Northwestern District, where he would continue to work until August 15, 1914, when he was promoted to Sergeant and transferred to the Western District.

Only six weeks prior to his death did he join the Police Benefit Association. So his widow was qualified to receive financial aid rendered by the program.

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POLICE INFORMATION

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P/O Harold J. Carey

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Officer Harold J. Carey
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11 January 1998

Baltimore Sun Article Dated 11/01/1998 [Officer Harold Carey died on October 30, 1998]. A Baltimore police officer’s urgent call for help led to tragedy yesterday morning when a police van and a cruiser collided at a midtown intersection, killing an officer and injuring two others, one of them seriously. Officer Harold J. Carey, a 28-year-old Douglass High School graduate who studied engineering before joining the force six years ago, was killed instantly in the crash that sent his police van skidding on its side and into a wall of a senior citizen high-rise. The crushed van landed on top of a parked Chevrolet Monte Carlo, injuring its owner, who was sitting in the driver’s seat. It took firefighters an hour to extricate Carey and the van’s driver, Officer Keith Owens, who suffered injuries to his head and spine. The officers were on the way to help a fellow officer who was struggling with a man on North Charles Street. Lieutenant J. A. Chianca Jr. described Officer Carey as a "very, very good officer" who "really cared for the people in the community." Officer Carey was awarded a Bronze Star in 1993 for shooting a man armed with a.357 caliber Magnum handgun.

More details

Name	Description
End of Watch	30 October 1998
City, St.	City, St.
Panel Number	5-E: 21
Cause of Death	Auto Accident
District Worked	Central

POLICE INFORMATION

Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and/or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and/or Brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency. Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll.

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P/O Craig Chandler

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Officer Craig Chandler
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On this day, January 9, 2015, we lost our brother police officer, Craig Chandler, to injuries stemming from an auto accident that occurred on November 23, 2014, in the area of Bonaparte Ave. in East Baltimore while in pursuit of a suspect on a scooter who was fleeing arrest:

In an article by Ian Duncan and Colin Campbell The Baltimore Sun January 10, 2015, describes the events as follows: Initially, signs of Officer Craig Chandler's passing were released through a series of cryptic messages released through Twitter and Facebook pages, like this Tweet from the Baltimore Police Department that was tweeted on January 10, 2015.

"We will always remember Officer Craig Chandler, #EOW, 1/9/15, due to injuries in a LOD car accident. #BPDNeverForget,"

Baltimore Sun further reported

Baltimore Police Officer Craig Chandler has died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during a pursuit on Nov. 23, according to the Police Department.

Detective Ruganzu Howard said Chandler died Friday evening. Chandler and a female officer were injured when the patrol car they were riding in struck a telephone pole while pursuing a motor scooter that had picked up a man fleeing a gathering of dirt bike riders, police said at the time. Police commanders had tried to call the pursuit off just before the accident, which has also left the moped driver, Deonta Winston, hospitalized. It is unclear if the driver or passengers of the patrol heard the order to end the pursuit. Police charged Winston, 22, with multiple traffic violations. Winston could not be reached late Saturday.

The crash in the 2200 block of Kirk Ave. in East Baltimore left an officer "fighting for his life," police said in the November Sun article. Neither Officer Chandler nor the female officer were identified at the time, but on Christmas Eve, the police union said it was Chandler and that he was in stable condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Officer Chandler had been with the Police Department since 2008, according to city records.

"We are very saddened by the loss of BPD Officer Craig Chandler on 1/9/15," the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3, the city's police union, tweeted Saturday night, January 10, 2015.

"Succumbed to injuries from a LOD MVA [a line-of-Duty motor vehicle accident]. We will never forget our brother!"

A police union representative could not be reached for comment. City Councilman Brandon Scott, who said he knew Officer Chandler personally, also posted about the officer's death on Twitter.

"Rest in peace, Officer Chandler," Scott wrote. "You will suffer no longer. It has been a pleasure knowing you and watching you serve."

The driver of the patrol car involved in the accident, Brandon Bolt, was treated and released. Bolt, who had been with the department since 2013, was suspended with pay at the time. He could not be reached for comment late Saturday.

Baltimore police must get permission from a shift commander to pursue vehicles they are chasing. Police said that a sergeant told the three officers to discontinue the chase, but seconds later the officers called for paramedics. Police did not say why the three officers were riding together in a single vehicle, nor did they say for sure if they had confirmation about the officers receiving the cease-to-pursue instruction. From personal experience, especially with multiple units in the same car, while in pursuit, often a member of the pursuit vehicle is calling out directions to the suspect vehicle while the microphone is opened to give these descriptions, thereby making it impossible for the officers in the unit to hear commands to cease pursuit.

The last Baltimore police officer to die in the line of duty was Forrest E. "Dino" Taylor, who succumbed in late August 2012 to injuries sustained in an accident in February of that year as he was driving to aid a fellow officer. Taylor was a 17-year veteran of the force.

As we take this time to remember him and thank him for his service and sacrifice,. We, his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department, will not let him be forgotten. God bless you and Rest in Peace

Baltimore Police Officer Dies of Injuries from November Crash

Baltimore police are investigating an accident involving officers and a suspect in the area of Bonaparte Avenue in East Baltimore. (Maggie Ybarra/Special to the Baltimore Sun)

By Ian Duncan and Colin Campbell The Baltimore Sun

Baltimore police officer involved in November crash dies

Baltimore police officer Craig Chandler has died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during a pursuit on Nov. 23, the Police Department said Saturday evening.

"We will always remember Officer Craig Chandler #EOW [end of watch] 1/9/15 due to injuries in a LOD [line of duty] car accident. #BPDNeverForget," the Baltimore police tweeted Saturday evening. Detective Ruganzu Howard said Chandler died Friday evening.

Police identify officer driving in departmental crash

Chandler and a female officer were injured when the patrol car they were riding in struck a telephone pole while pursuing a moped that had picked up a man fleeing a gathering of dirt bike riders, police said at the time.

Police commanders had tried to call off the pursuit before the accident, which also left the moped driver, Deonta Winston, hospitalized. Police charged Winston, 22, with multiple traffic violations. Winston could not be reached late Saturday.

The crash in the 2200 block of Kirk Ave. in East Baltimore left an officer "fighting for his life," police said in November. Chandler was not identified at the time, but on Christmas Eve, the police union said it was Chandler and that he was in stable condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Chandler had been with the police department since 2008, according to city records.

"We are very saddened by the loss of BPD Officer Craig Chandler on 1/9/15," the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3, the city's police union, tweeted Saturday night. "Succumbed to injuries from LOD MVA [a line-of-duty motor vehicle accident]. We will never forget our brother!"

A police union representative could not be reached for comment.

City Councilman Brandon Scott, who said he knew Chandler personally, also posted about the officer's death on Twitter. "Rest in peace, Chandler," he wrote. "You suffer no longer. It is a pleasure to have known you and watched you serve."

FOP: Baltimore City officer dead from injuries obtained in November car accident

WMAR Staff

7:38 PM, Jan 10, 2015

3 hours ago

DiMarco, Nick

The Baltimore City police officer who was seriously injured in a November car accident has died from his injuries, according to the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police's Twitter account.

The crash happened midday on November 23 when Officer Craig Chandler, a Baltimore City police officer, was driving on the 2200 block of Kirk Avenue. A moped driver veered in front of Chandler's vehicle, trying to make a right turn, causing the police car to crash into the bike.

At the time of the crash, Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said, "One of our officers, at this moment, is fighting for his life at Shock Trauma."

In a tweet Saturday night, the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police said, "We are very saddened by the loss of BPD Officer Craig Chandler on 1-9-15. Succumbed to injuries from LOD MVA. We will never forget our brother!"

Police are expected to formally announce his passing at a press conference Sunday at noon.

Baltimore police officer dies of injuries from November crash

Baltimore police are investigating an accident involving officers and a suspect in the area of Bonaparte Avenue in East Baltimore. (Maggie Ybarra/Special to the Baltimore Sun, October 26, 2012)

By Ian Duncan and Colin Campbell The Baltimore Sun

10:20 p.m. EST, January 10, 2015

Baltimore police officer Craig Chandler has died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during a pursuit on Nov. 23, the Police Department said Saturday evening.

"We will always remember Officer Craig Chandler #EOW [end of watch] 1/9/15 due to injuries in a LOD [line of duty] car accident. #BPDNeverForget," the Baltimore police tweeted Saturday evening.

Detective Ruganzu Howard said Chandler died Friday evening.

Chandler had been with the police department since 2008, according to city records.

A police union representative could not be reached for comment.

City Councilman Brandon Scott, who said he knew Chandler personally, also posted about the officer's death on Twitter. "Rest in peace, Chandler," he wrote. "You suffer no longer. It is a pleasure to have known you and watched you serve."

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More details

Name	Description
End of Watch	9 January, 2015
City, St.	Baltimore, Md
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Auto Accident
District Worked	Eastern

POLICE INFORMATION

If you have copies of: your Baltimore Police Department class photo; pictures of our officers, vehicles, and equipment; newspaper articles relating to our department and/or officers; old departmental newsletters; lookouts; wanted posters; or brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency. Please contact retired detective Kenny Driscoll.

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Det. Troy Lamont Chesley Sr.

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Det. Troy Lamont Chesley, Sr.
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On this day in Baltimore Police History, January 9, 2007, we lost our brother, Det. Troy Lamont Chesley Sr., to gunfire based on the following:

A 13-year-old veteran of the Baltimore Police Department was shot to death as he walked up to his girlfriend's home in Northwest Baltimore early this morning, shortly after he got off work. Det. Troy Lamont Chesley Sr., 34, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Sinai Hospital, police officials said. One or more armed individuals shot him as he was walking along the 5400 block of Fairfax Road in the city's West Forest Park neighborhood. The shooting came amid a spate of slayings—10 in the first nine days of the new year. Troy was laid to eternal rest January 16, 2007

Suspect In Killing Has Long Record ; Man, 21, Charged With Police Officer's Slaying Has Been Arrested Often, Convicted Several Times

Gus G. Sentementes, Annie Linskey

Jan 10, 2007

A 21-year-old man with at least 17 arrests on his criminal record was charged yesterday with first-degree murder in the killing of an off-duty Baltimore police officer during an apparent robbery attempt outside the officer's girlfriend's home in Northwest Baltimore. The suspect, Brandon Grimes, was being held under police guard at a city hospital, recovering from a leg wound that police said was sustained during an early-morning gunbattle with Detective Troy Lamont Chesley Sr., 34, who was struck several times and died at Sinai Hospital. According to police, Grimes escaped during the tumultuous moments following the 1:20 a.m. shooting on a quiet street in West Forest Park, which left cars and houses with bullet holes. Detectives closed in on the suspect after they learned someone had been admitted to St. Agnes Hospital with a gunshot injury. Police said they recovered key evidence, including a handgun and blood from the scene that did not belong to the officer.

The day, in which the city's homicide total for this year rose to 13, left Baltimore officers grieving and frustrated over Grimes' extensive record of arrests. Despite several convictions, he had not spent significant time in prison. Col. Fred H. Bealefeld III, chief of detectives, noted that Grimes had been arrested twice within the past year for handgun violations; court records show those cases are pending. "This is the third gun Brandon Grimes has had in his possession in less than a year," Bealefeld said. "We took two of them away from him. It's extraordinary, to say the least. This is the sort of mayhem and craziness we see all too often." Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm said that officials who participate in the city's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council—a group of elected officials, law enforcement agency representatives, and others—"need"to start getting serious about getting people off the street." Hamm said Grimes' 17 arrests occurred over the past 3 1/2 years. "I think that what has to happen is that the city of Baltimore has to get fed up, because we are fed up," he said. Asked about the city's stubborn homicide rate, the commissioner said: "When this pager goes off at night telling me someone's been killed in this city, I die a little bit. Everybody dies a little bit." The officer's death highlighted another pervasive problem that city police have struggled with over the past year: robberies. In 2006, according to preliminary figures through mid-December, the city saw a roughly 8 percent spike in robberies—an increase that mirrored a troubling national trend. Chesley was attacked in the 4500 block of Fairfax Road, outside his girlfriend's house. Less than two months ago, and two blocks away, Andre Alexander, 21, was killed in front of his house by someone who shot him about 1:25 a.m. and then ran away. Police officials said yesterday that they are looking at that case, which remains open, to see if there are any similarities to yesterday's shooting, which left residents once again stunned. Kelly Lloyd, a neighbor who lives in the block, said she heard nine or 10 gunshots in what is a usually quiet neighborhood. "I was shocked," she said. "I thought it was firecrackers. They shot a lot of times." Chesley, who was in plain clothes and not wearing body armor, was pronounced dead soon after his arrival at Sinai, police said. Police said they believe that the suspect, after getting shot in the lower leg, limped away from the scene and was taken to St. Agnes Hospital by other unidentified people in a minivan. His condition was not available. The police said it was too early to determine whether other people would be charged in the slaying. Chesley, a Baltimore native, joined the Police Department in 1993. He served in the Western and Northwestern districts, and later in tactical and organized crime units. Most recently, he worked in the department's public housing section, doing undercover drug investigations in some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.

Relatives of Chesley Decided to Comment.

Law enforcement officials yesterday scrambled to understand and explain Grimes' extensive and convoluted criminal record. The city's attorney's office released a timeline that showed Grimes pleading guilty to car theft in February 2004 and receiving a 10-year sentence. But that sentence was almost entirely suspended, and Grimes was put on probation. According to court records, a city judge sentenced Grimes to four concurrent six-month sentences in May of last year for violating an earlier probation. After Grimes served those sentences, the judge closed his case and terminated his probation, though the specifics of that decision were not clear yesterday. A handwritten letter that Grimes wrote to the judge before the sentencing indicated that he has a young son and has been working toward a high school graduate equivalency diploma. He asked the judge for leniency because his son needed him in his life. "I'm writing this letter to you to ask for mercy on the court," Grimes wrote in the letter, full of grammatical errors. "I know a lot of the choices I made in my life weren't the right ones. But I had to realize I'm not just living for myself any more. I have a 6-month-old son that needs me in his life, and I can't be there for him if I die or go to jail." In March and April of last year, Grimes was arrested and charged with separate handgun violations. Grimes posted bail for the March case, which is pending trial. For the April arrest, the state's attorney's office argued for bail of $500,000, but a District Court commissioner reportedly reduced his bail to $100,000. That case was postponed at least twice and is scheduled for trial today. A prosecutor argued in a court document that "Mr. Grimes' continuing insistence on illegally carrying handguns indicates the danger he poses to the citizens of Baltimore city, requiring the highest possible bail," according to the form. In that same document, a prosecutor stated that Grimes had been previously found guilty of obliterating the serial number of a handgun. According to court records, there were additional charges last year, including two separate arrests for drug possession and burglary in November, as well as second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in June that the prosecutors dismissed for an unspecified reason. Grimes also had an extensive criminal record as a juvenile. At age 12, in 1997, Grimes was charged with making a bomb threat. That same year, he would also be arrested as a juvenile and charged with extortion, second-degree assault, and a pyrotechnic violation, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of his juvenile record. From 1999 to 2001, he was arrested four times in car-theft cases, the source said. The attack on Chesley was the latest in a string of dangerous assaults against on- and off-duty Baltimore police officers over the past year. Last month, Officer Momodu Gondo was shot and injured in North Baltimore in an apparent robbery attempt. The police made an arrest in that case. In November, Sgt. Christopher Nyberg shot two of four people who tried to rob him as he walked toward his home on Federal Hill. Police said Nyberg was held up at knifepoint. In September, Officer Robert G. Cirello was shot while patrolling Patterson Park, and police credited his body armor with saving his life. And in March, Officer Dante Hemingway was shot in the neck, chest, and stomach in Westport when, on his lunch break, he visited a woman he had met and was shot by a man recruited by the woman's jealous lover. The last officer to die in the line of duty was Officer Anthony A. Byrd, 31, an 11-year-old veteran. Byrd was killed in May in a collision with another officer, Raymond E. Cook Jr., who was speeding in his police cruiser. There were two young daughters and a wife left behind by Byrd. Paul M. Blair Jr., president of the city's Fraternal Order of Police union, said that an officer has been assigned to assist Chesley's family, and the union will help relatives with funeral arrangements. He said Chesley's death will be considered a "line of duty" fatality because he drew his weapon and badge. "It's bad enough we're targeted at work," Blair said, "but now it's so bad that you can't even go home safely at night." Lt. Melvin Russell, who was Chesley's boss for years in the close-knit narcotics unit in the public housing section, addressed Chesley's colleagues in the unit yesterday morning. "I told them to keep a careful eye on each other," he said. "As police officers, we tend to hold things inside. I reminded them that we're human beings first, and to try not to go through this by themselves."

As his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department, we will not let him be forgotten. His service honored the City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Police Department. May he rest in peace, and may God bless him.

More Details

Name	Description
End of Watch	9 January, 2007
City, St.	City, St.
Panel Number	8-W: 26
Cause of Death	Gunfire
Weapon	- Handgun
District Worked	Public Housing

Lifelong Prisoner Accused of Orchestrating Fraud to Escape Justice for Slaying Baltimore Detective

By Grok, xAI News Desk October 28, 2025

In a brazen plot straight out of a crime thriller, Brandon Grimes — a man serving life without parole for gunning down a Baltimore police detective nearly two decades ago — has been hit with fresh charges for allegedly fabricating evidence in a desperate bid for freedom and a multimillion-dollar payout.

Grimes, now 40, faces six felony counts including fabricating physical evidence, obstruction of justice, identity fraud, and theft scheme over $100,000. Prosecutors say the scheme could have defrauded Maryland taxpayers of more than $1.4 million in wrongful conviction compensation.

The Fatal Encounter: A Detective's Last Stand

It was January 9, 2007, when off-duty Baltimore Police Detective Troy Lamont Chesley Sr., 34, found himself in a life-or-death struggle on a North Avenue street in Baltimore. Attempting to intervene in a robbery, Chesley drew his department-issued .40-caliber Glock and exchanged gunfire with Grimes, who was armed with a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun.

Chesley struck Grimes in the calf, but not before Grimes fired multiple rounds, fatally wounding the detective. Chesley collapsed at the scene, leaving behind a blood trail from Grimes' flight. Grimes ditched his weapon en route to St. Agnes Hospital, where it was later recovered alongside Chesley's Glock.

A jury convicted Grimes of first-degree murder in August 2008. Judge Timothy J. Doory sentenced him to life without parole, plus a consecutive 20 years for handgun charges. Grimes has filed numerous post-trial motions since, all denied.

The Fraudulent Forgery: A Multi-Year Conspiracy

Undeterred, Grimes hatched a scheme from behind bars at North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland. In recorded jailhouse calls, he recruited accomplices — including a woman he met on Facebook and an unidentified "homeboy" — to create a fake "confidential" ballistics report.

The doctored document claimed Grimes' calf wound came from the same weapon that killed Chesley, suggesting suppressed evidence of self-defense. "If [I] would have gone to trial on self-defense, [it] would have went in [his] favor," Grimes allegedly said, adding, "don't even care about the truth, what's the best story."

Forgery Tactics:

Method	Description
Gluing & Photocopying	"I could glue that down then Xerox it."
Edge Alteration	"Once I Xerox it, I could white the edges out... then do it one more time."
Fake Signatures	Impersonated experts Sandra Bohlen and Christopher Faber.

Grimes promised his Facebook accomplice riches: "When I get this exoneration money, I'll make sure you don't work again." The plot aimed at a "writ of actual innocence" for release and state per diem payments exceeding $100,000 annually, plus over $1 million upfront.

On March 1, 2024, Grimes filed the petition in Baltimore City Circuit Court, claiming a 2018 discovery of "newly discovered evidence" from an assistant state's attorney.

Unraveled by Scrutiny: "Inauthentic" Report Exposed

Baltimore Police firearms experts spotted red flags immediately: mismatched property numbers, inconsistent styling, and signatures from examiners who never authored or signed the report.

Chief Lauren Lipscomb launched an internal review in July 2025, forwarding findings to homicide detectives. Investigators tied it back to Grimes via the damning prison calls: "My fight is to get the [expletive] out of here."

Charges Breakdown:

Count	Charge	Penalty
1-2	Fraudulent Identity/Information	Up to 20 years / $25,000
3	Theft Scheme ≥$100,000	Up to 20 years / $25,000
4	Obstruction of Justice	Up to 5 years / $10,000
5-6	Fabricating/Introducing Evidence	Up to 3 years each / $5,000

Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates requested Grimes' transfer to a city lockup. Grimes has motioned for a speedy trial; his next court date is November 24.

Baltimore police officer's convicted killer accused of ...

A Legacy of Loss

Chesley, a dedicated father and officer, left an indelible mark on Baltimore PD. His family has endured unimaginable grief, now compounded by Grimes' alleged mockery of justice.

As one investigator noted in charging documents, Grimes "willfully and knowingly assumed the identities [of experts] with fraudulent intent."

Grimes remains locked away, his freedom dreams shattered — but his deceit ensures he'll face even more accountability.

This article is based on court documents, charging statements, and official reports. Updates as case progresses.

POLICE INFORMATION

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Det Sgt Joseph F. Carroll

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Detective Sergeant Joseph F. Carroll
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On this day in Baltimore Police History 1928, we lost our brother Detective Sergeant Joseph F. Carroll to gunfire based on the following: On 19 Nov 1928 Captain John Carey,, night commander of police detective unit, received word that a man answering the description of a man wanted in New York for armed robberies and the shooting of a New York City Police Officer was in a Baltimore Street Hotel. Three detectives were detailed to go to the location and bring the suspect in; Captain Carey told them to bring the suspect to police headquarters for questioning. The detectives did a turn-up at the location, and found the person that was being reported, but after brief conversations felt he could not be the suspect wanted, by the NYPD. Captain Carey said he told the three officers that were sent earlier about the dangers of this suspect and let them know he was to be considered as a dangerous and desperate character. While the Detectives didn’t think the subject, they received a tip on was their suspect they still brought him in for questioning where they cleared him and released him a short time after his interview.

Later the same morning Detective Sergeant Joseph F. Carroll received a phoned in tip of a suspect at a downtown hotel, he didn’t have any info on the suspect, what he was wanted for, or even that three Detectives had already gone out on this call. All he had was that police where there earlier looking for a suspect, and that the suspect was there now. Det. Sgt. Carroll left; he was unaware that it was guys out of his own unit/division that went out on the first call. We don’t know who phoned in the tip(s), it may have been the person police brought in, and then released, or a hotel employee; we’ll never know. Likewise, we’ll never know why, Detective Sergeant Carroll didn’t investigate it any further, or didn’t take a back-up Detective or Patrolman with him. He just took the name the caller gave him, grabbed a set of keys, and went alone. This might seem odd, but having been on the job, I know there are plenty of times when a detective may end up going out on his or her own. Following leads often must be done when it comes in and can even send partners in opposite directions. Detective Sergeant Carroll now at the hotel located the suspect and arrested him. The two proceeded from the hotel to as far as Fayette Street and the Fallsway when the suspect realizing his window was closing, time was running out and he pulled his pistol, and demanded that Detective Sergeant Carroll put his hands up. Detective Sergeant Elmer O’Grady and others, that happened to have been looking out the window, or were called to the attention of the window from their offices, that is right this was happening right outside police headquarters building, Officers and Detectives were running to assist Det. Sgt Joseph Carroll, only to be met by the gunman’s hail of fire. Det. Sgt. Joseph F. Carroll died a few minutes after being taken to the hospital. O’Grady and others were reported as doing well.

Several things that should be known about the Baltimore Police 1928,

1^st - We didn’t cuff people in public,

2^nd - We didn’t search people in public, nor did we stand by and watch as other searched people in public.

To that the Police Commissioner Charles Gaither read the following from the rule book to the media:

“Members of the force shall not search, or act as witness to the searching of any person in any place other than the station house, or headquarters, unless such search be made for dangerous or deadly weapons suspected to be upon the person of the prisoner.”

In this case Det. Sgt. Joseph F. Carroll had no info on the suspect and was within the rules of the Baltimore Police Department. It is because of cases like this, that we have the rules we have today, cases like this, that allows us to cuff people that are only suspected of a crime. And cases like this that let us search incident to arrest. This happened in 1928, things were so different, without radios on every shoulder, or hip like today, information wasn’t as freely distributed as it is today.

As his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department we will not let him be forgotten, His service Honored the City of Baltimore, and the Baltimore Police Department may he rest in peace, and may God bless him.

The suspect in this case also died of his injuries, but not before admitting to police that he was the suspect wanted in New York for robberies and Shootings, of two police officers in the NYPD

Click HERE or on the Above Newspaper Pic to see full size article

More details

Name	Description
End of Watch	19 November, 1928
City, St.	Fayette Street, and Fallsway
Panel Number	30-E: 7
Cause of Death	Gunfire
Weapon	- Handgun
District Worked	Criminal Investigation Division

POLICE INFORMATION

If you have copies of: your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.

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Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Fallen Heroes List

Baltimore Police Historical Society Uncategorised 18 April 2025

Fallen Hero

Fallen Heroes List

1787 -  May 1787 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman Turner HERE
1808 - 15 March 1808 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman George Workner HERE
1844 - 19 June 1844 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman Alexander McIntosh HERE
1856 - 13 November, 1856 - We lost our Brother Night Watchman John O'Mayer HERE
1857 - 14 October 1857 - We lost our Brother Sergeant William Jourdan HERE
1858 - 27 Jun 1858 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Henry Wilcox  HERE
1858 - 22 September, 1858 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Benjamin Benton HERE
1858 - 05 November, 1858 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert M. Rigdon HERE
1863 - 18 Feb 1863 - We lost our Brother Sergeant William Wright  HERE
1870 - 05 July, 1870 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James Murphy  HERE
1870 - 17 Aug 1870 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Richard Chanowith HERE
1871 - 12 January, 1871 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles J Walsh  HERE
1871 - 22 May, 1871 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Clark HERE
1871 - 14 September, 1871 - We lost our Brother Detective John H. Richards HERE
1872 - 18 August 1872 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John Christopher  HERE
1872 - 22 Nov 1872 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Francis Fullum HERE
1873 - 12 January 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman John H. Dames HERE
1873 - 12 January 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James T. Harvey HERE
1873 - 06 October 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Thomas Baldwin HERE
1873 - 11 November 1873 - We lost our Brother Patrolman William H Healy HERE
1875 - 27 Nov 1875 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Robert Wright  HERE
1877 - 04 Aug 1877 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Henry Schaper  HERE
1883 - 27 September 1883 - We lost our Brother Captain Benjamin Franklin Kenney HERE
1884 - 06 January, 1884 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles W. Fisher HERE
1884 - 12 Jan 1884 - We lost our Brother Patrolman George Pumphrey  HERE
1885 - 20 March, 1885 - We lost our Brother Police Officer August Harting  HERE
1889 - 04 July, 1889 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John T. Lloyd  HERE
1891 - 15 July, 1891 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Jacob Zapp  HERE
1894 - 20 June, 1894 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James T. Dunn  HERE
1894 - 20 June, 1894 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Michael Neary HERE
1895 - 16 June, 1895 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Benjamin Graham  HERE
1895 - 17 October, 1895 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John J. Dailey HERE
1898 - 11 February 1898 - We lost our Brother Police Lieutenant Michael F Black HERE
1899 - 03 July 1899 - We lost our Brother Police Detective John S. Pontier  HERE
1899 - 29 August, 1899 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Alonzo B. Bishop HERE
1900 - 11 June 1900 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Michael W. Ryan  HERE
1902 - 20 May 1902 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles J. Donohue  HERE
1905 - 26 January 1905 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Mathew Boone HERE
1905 - 25 December 1905 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles Spitznagle HERE
1909 - 04 March 1909 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas H. Worthington  HERE
1910 - 16 Sept1910 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John T. Tuohy  HERE
1911 - 16 September 1911 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Joseph Smyth  HERE
1912 - 25 November 1912 - We lost our Brother Officer John McGrain HERE
1914 - 02 June 1914 - We lost our Brother Turnkey Carroll E Bond HERE
1915 - 18 April 1915 - We lost our Brother Police Officer George C. Sauer  HERE
1915 - 08 July 1915 We lost our Brother Police Sergeant William F. Higgins  HERE
1915 - 21 September 1915 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Herbert Bitzel  HERE
1915 - 25 December 1915 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Paul Meeks  HERE
1917 - 22 January 1917 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Michael Burns HERE
1918 - 13 February 1918 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Daniel Benedict  HERE
1918 - 19 March 1918 - We lost our Sister Police Matron Teresa Foll HERE
1918 - 06 July 1918 - We lost our Brother Patrolman George Kessler  HERE
1918 - 08 July 1918 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Charles H McClean  HERE
1919 - 16 Feb 1919 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Albert L. Borrell  HERE
1919 - 03 July 1919 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John J. Lanahan HERE
1920 - 02 October 1920 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Michael J Egan HERE
1921 - 01 May 1921 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Edgar Shellito HERE
1923 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John Edward Swift  HERE
1924 - 02 March 1924 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Frank L. Latham  HERE
1924 - 20 June 1924 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles S. Frank  HERE
1925 - 02 January 1925 - We lost our Brother Police Officer George D. Hart  HERE
1925 - 18 May 1925 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Patrick J Coniffee HERE
1925 - 01 November 1925 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Leroy L. Mitchell HERE
1925 - 01 May 1925 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Daniel J. Hyland HERE
1925 - 03 July 1925 - We lost our Brother Patrolman John E. Harris HERE
1925 - 02 August 1925 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Irvin E Martz HERE
1926 - 09 February 1926 We lost our Brother Police Officer Milton Heckwolf  HERE
1926 - 29 June 1926 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Webster E. Schumann  HERE
1926 - 12 July 1926 - We lost our Brother Police Clerk Thomas J. Dillon HERE
1926 - 31 Oct 1926 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles W. Robb  HERE
1927 - 07 Dec 1927 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Harry Sullivan  HERE
1927 - 05 August 1927 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William F. Doehler  HERE
1928 - 12 February 1928 - We lost our Brother Sergeant George M. J. May HERE
1928 -  28 June 1928 We lost our Brother Sergeant William Nicholson  HERE
1928 - 19 November 1928 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Joseph F. Carroll HERE
1929 - 26 July 1929 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James M. Moore HERE
1930 - 07 May 1930 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Robert L. Osborne  HERE
1931 - 07 January 1931 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John P. Burns   HERE
1931 - 27 February 1931 - We lost our Brother Sergeant James Robert Moog HERE
1931 - 10 Nov, 1931 - We lost our Brother Captain Edward J Carey  HERE
1931 - 06 Dec, 1931 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Howard Pitts  HERE
1932 - 02 January 1932 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William A. Bell HERE
1932 - 05 March 1932 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Charles R. Bozman  HERE
1932 - 04 October 1932 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas F. Steinacker  HERE
1933 - 21 April 1933 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John R. J. Block HERE
1933 - 07 March 1933 - We lost our Brother Police Lt. Cornelius J. Roche  HERE
1933 - 09 March 1933 - We lost our Brother Police Capt. Charles H. Burns  HERE
1933 - 27 Sept 1933 - We lost our Brother Patrolman William R Myers HERE
1934 - 12 February 1934 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John Blank  HERE
1934 - 12 July 1934 - We lost our Brother Detective Sergeant Raymond Golderman HERE
1934 - 05 September 1934 - We lost our Brother Serge Michael McSweeny  HERE
1934 - 02 November 1934 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John A. Stapf  HERE
1934 - 20 December 1934 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Henry W. Sudmeier  HERE
1935 - 14 February 1935 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Max Hirsh  HERE
1935 - 31 Oct 1935 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Arthur H. Malinofski  HERE
1935 - 22 Nov 1935 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James P. Lennon  HERE
1936 - 16 February 1936 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Arthur R. Cornthwaite HERE
1936 - 09 October 1936 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Leo Bacon  HERE
1936 - 29 October 1936 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Carroll Hanley  HERE
1936 - 28 December 1936 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John T. King, Jr.  HERE
1937 - 31 December 1937 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas J. Barlow  HERE
1937 - 17 November 1937 - We lost our Brother Capt. Charles A. Kahler HERE
1938 - 25 Mar 1938 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Henry E. Auld HERE
1938 - 01 Nov 1938 - We lost our Brother Chief Engineer Joseph Edward Keene HERE
1939 - 05 May 1939 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Charles W. Frizzell HERE
1940 - 13 June 1940 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William L. Ryan HERE
1941 - 11 January 1941 - We lost our Brother Capt. Havey Von Harten HERE
1943 - 13 June 1943 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Woodcock HERE
1943 - 07 November 1943 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William S. Knight HERE
1943 - 16 November 1943 - We lost our Brother Detective Patrolman Charles H. Reid HERE
1944 - 29 January 1944 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Waldsachs HERE
1945 - 17 August 1945 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John J. Burns HERE
1945 - 10 September 1945 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John B. Bealefeld HERE
1946 - 01 March 1946, We lost our Brother Patrolman George H. Weichert HERE
1946 - 27 June 1946 - We lost our Brother Patrolman James M Shamer HERE
1946 - 20 November 1946 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Elmer A. Noon HERE
1947 - 13 January 1947 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Fred R. Unger HERE
1947 - 13 October 1947 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles Hart HERE
1948 - 13 February 1948 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Joseph Daniel Benedict HERE
1948 - 01 October 1948 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas J. Burns HERE
1948 - 30 December 1948 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John W. Arnold  HERE
1949 - 04 April 1949 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James L. Joyce HERE
1949 - 16 October 1949 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas J. O'Neill  HERE
1950 - 04 August 1950 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles M. Hilbert HERE
1951 - 06 January 1951 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Roland W. Morgan HERE
1951 - 23 June 1951 - We lost our Brother Patrolman Arthur Weiss HERE
1953 - 01 August 1953 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James L. Scholl   HERE
1954 - 14 February 1954 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Alfred P. Bobelis HERE
1954 - 19 April 1954 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Aubrey L. Lowman HERE
1954 - 01 July 1954 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Walter D. Davis HERE
1955 - 24 October 1955 - We lost our Brother Sergeant James J. Purcell HERE
1956 - 06 Feb 1956 - - We lost our Brother Patrolman John Neill HERE
1956 - 27 May 1956 - We lost our Brother Police Lieutenant William P. Thompson HERE
1956 - 29 September 1956 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John R. Phelan HERE
1956 - 11 December 1956, We lost our Brother, Police Sgt. Edward M. Sawyer HERE
1957 - 27 September 1957 - We lost our Brother Police Sergeant Charles E Gross HERE
1957 - 09 October 1957 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John F. Andrews HERE
1958 - 19 September 1958 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert K. Nelson HERE
1959 - 11 January 1959 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard H. Duvall, Jr. HERE
1960 - 16 November 1960 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Warren V. Eckert HERE
1961 - 08 Oct 1961 - We lost our Brother Patrolman John R Falconer HERE
1962 - 07 April, 1962 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Henry Smith, Jr. HERE
1962 - 26 May 1962 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard D. Seebo   HERE
1962 - 02 July 1962 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Edward J. Kowalewski HERE
1964 - 10 January 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Francis R. Stransky HERE
1964 - 06 February 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Claude J. Profili HERE
1964 - 11 September 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Walter Patrick Matthys HERE
1964 - 15 October 1964 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Teddy L. Bafford HERE
1964 - 25 December 1964 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Jack Lee Cooper  HERE
1965 - 20 January 1965 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Charles R. Ernest  HERE
1965 - 22 July 1965 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert Henry Kuhn  HERE
1966 - 24 August 1946 - We lost our Brother Honorary Police Officer Simon Fried HERE
1967 - 25 January 1967 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Baumer HERE
1967 - 10 February 1967 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Frederick K. Kontner  HERE
1967 - 21 August 1967 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John C. Williams  HERE
1968 - 18 April 1968 - We lost our Brother Detective Richard F. Bosak HERE
1968 - 12 November 1968 We lost our Brother Sergeant Frant Ankrom HERE
1969 - 20 June 1969 - We lost our Brother William Wilder HERE
1970 - 16 January 1970 - We lost our Brother Police Officer George F. Heim  HERE
1970 - 24 March 1970 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Henry M. Mickey  HERE
1970 - 24 April 1970 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Donald W. Sager  HERE
1971 - 12 June 1971 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Carl Peterson, Jr. HERE
1971 - 01 August 1971 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Martin Webb  HERE
1971 - In June of 1971 - We had our first K9 Dog killed in the Line of Duty. "Shane" RIP HERE
1972 - 26 July 1972 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Lorenzo Arnest Gray HERE
1973 - 01 December 1973 - We lost our Brother Detective Wiley M. Owens HERE
1973 - 29 March 1973 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert M. Hurley HERE
1973 - 06 April 1973 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Norman Frederick Buchman HERE
1973 - 22 September 1973 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Calvin M. Rodwell HERE
1974 - 05 May 1974 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Frank Warren Whitby, Jr. HERE
1974 - 01 August 1974 - We lost our Brother Det Sgt Frank William Grunder, Jr. HERE
1974 - 15 August 1974 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Milton I. Spell   HERE
1974 - 10 December 1974 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Martin Joseph Greiner HERE
1975 - 13 September 1975 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Edward S. Sherman HERE
1975 - 27 October 1975 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Timothy B. Ridenour HERE
1976 - 16 April 1976 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Jimmy Dale Halcomb HERE
1978 - 15 February 1978 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Edgar J. Rumpf   HERE
1978 - 23 April 1978 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Robert John Barlow   HERE
1978 - 27 October 1978 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Nelson F. Bell, Jr. HERE
1979 - 02 March 1979 - We lost our Brother Police Officer John H. Spencer HERE
1979 - 19 August 1979 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William D. Albers HERE
1981 - 20 July 1981 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Ronald L. Tracey   HERE
1984 - 28 June 1984 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Johnny LaGrone HERE
1984 - 03 December 1984 - We lost our Brother Detective Marcellus Ward   HERE
1985 - 08 October 1985 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard J. Lear   HERE
1985 - 18 November 1985 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo HERE
1986 - 21 July 1986 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Richard Thomas Miller HERE
1986 - 20 September 1986 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Robert Alexander HERE
1989 - 10 October 1989 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William J. Martin HERE
1992 - 21 September 1992 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Ira Neil Weiner HERE
1993 - 26 May 1993 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Herman A. Jones, Sr. HERE
1994 - 04 Aug 1994 - Police Horse dies in the line of duty. "Bozman".   HERE
1994 - 24 June 1994 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Gerald M. Arminger HERE
1994 - 14 October 1994 - We lost our Brother Sergeant Richard Harris   HERE
1997 - 07 May 1997 - We lost our Brother Lieutenant Owen Eugene Sweeney, Jr. HERE
1998 - 30 October 1998 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Harold Jerome Carey HERE
1998 - 04 November 1998 - We lost our Brother Flight Officer Barry Winston Wood HERE
1999 - 15 July 1999 - We lost our Brother P/O Martin 'Marty' Domzalski HERE
2000 - 08 March, 2000 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Jamie Allen Roussey HERE
2000 - 21 April, 2000 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Kevon Malik Gavin HERE
2000 - 14 October, 2000 - We lost our Brother Sergeant John David Platt HERE
2000 - 14 October, 2000 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Kevin Joseph McCarthy   HERE
2001 - 12 March, 2001 - We lost our Brother Agent Michael Joseph Cowdery, Jr. HERE
2002 - 22 August, 2002 - We lost our Sister Police Officer Crystal Deneen Sheffield HERE
2002 - 23 November, 2002 - We lost our Brother Detective Thomas G. Newman HERE
2003 - 17 April 2003 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Walter A Taylor Jr   HERE
2004 - 03 July 2004 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Brian Donte Winder    HERE
2006 - 19 May, 2006 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Anthony A. Byrd HERE
2007 - 09 January 2007 - We lost our Brother Detective Troy Lamont Chesley, Sr. HERE
2009 - 19 Nov 2009 - We lost our Brother Special Agent Samuel Hicks    HERE
2010 - 27 September 2010 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James Earl Fowler, III HERE
2010 - 16 October 2010 - We lost our Brother Detective Brian Stevenson    HERE
2010 - 20 October 2010 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Thomas Russell Portz, Jr.    HERE
2011 - 09 January 2011 - We lost our Brother Police Officer William Henry Torbit, Jr.    HERE
2012 - 29 August 2012 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Forrest "Dino" Taylor    HERE
2013 - 10 July 2013 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Shane Volk HERE
2014 - 14 December 2009, We lost our Brother Officer Robert W. Peregoy HERE
2015 - 09 January, 2015 - We lost our Brother Police Officer Craig Chandler      HERE
2017 - 16 November 2017 - We lost our Brother Police Detective Sean M. Suiter     HERE
2019 - 09 September 2019 - We lost our Brother Police Officer James Tolson
2021 - 23 Dec 2021 - We lost our Sister Police Officer Keona Holley HERE
2023 - 13 Dec 2023 - We lost our Brother Motors Officer Daoud Mingo HERE

The Unseen Heroes: Recognizing Baltimore’s Fallen Officers

In a quiet section of the Baltimore Police Department’s records, a list of 136 names resides. These are the officers who have fallen in the line of duty, their sacrifices officially recognized, and their stories etched into the city’s history. However, there is another list, one that tells a different story. This list, compiled by diligent active and retired police historians, includes an additional 85 names, totaling 221 fallen officers. This larger list includes officers who passed away due to on-the-job injuries or health issues related to their service, their stories largely untold.

Historically, certain types of deaths, such as heart attacks in the line of duty or deaths that occurred years after an injury, were not classified as line-of-duty deaths. However, a group of dedicated historians and the local Baltimore Police Historical Society have taken a broader view. They argue that if an officer’s life was shortened even by a day due to a job-related injury, that death should be considered a line-of-duty death.

While these officers may not receive all the benefits typically given to Baltimore’s fallen officers, many of their families are seeking recognition. Most of the benefits, such as a hero’s funeral or certain financial benefits, are long gone. Financial benefits for fallen officers weren’t available until the 1980s, and it’s too late for many to collect them.

Local historians, Kenny Driscoll and Bobby Brown, have taken up the mantle of ensuring these officers are not forgotten. Through their history site, they post the names of these officers and provide a memorial on the anniversary of each of their passings. This recognition, though small, means a great deal to the families who have already lost so much. They simply want their loved ones’ stories to be told, and Kenny and Bobby are doing all they can to ensure that.

This work is time-consuming, involving hours of combing through old newspaper archives. But both Kenny and Bobby say it is a valuable service to the community and a fitting tribute to those who served and those who gave. It reminds us that every officer who puts on the uniform is a hero, whether their name is on the official list or not. By the way, Kenny told us his list is as official as any list and that many of the names he and Bobby found have been presented to the Officer Down Memorial Page. They investigate the names provided by Kenny, so only names they feel are a result of a line of duty injury/illness are listed. When we check their count, they have 146 listed as fallen officers for the city of Baltimore’s police and 1 listed as Baltimore Park Police. Ken adopted the Park officer because in 1961, Baltimore Park Police rolled into Baltimore City police, and if we don’t add him to our list, he will be forgotten. So, ODM.org technically has 147 fallen Baltimore officers. That is 11 more than Baltimore police list. It is a testament to the unseen heroes of Baltimore, their sacrifices, and the families they left behind.

POLICE INFORMATION

If you have copies of: your Baltimore Police Department class photo, pictures of our officers, vehicles, equipment, newspaper articles relating to our department and/or officers, old departmental newsletters, lookouts, wanted posters, or brochures. Information on deceased officers and anything that may help preserve the history and proud traditions of this agency Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.

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