Honoring Fallen Police Chiefs

Fred Morrone had served for 30 years with the New Jersey State Police, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1993 at the age of 55.  He became an expert on organized crime and worked in the gaming industry for three years before being named Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department in August 1996.

For five years he led one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies, with a force of approximately 1,300 officers and commanders.  His position put him in charge of a department with jurisdiction over Kennedy International, Newark International and LaGuardia airports; the tunnels and bridges that link New York and New Jersey; the Port Authority bus Terminal; the PATH interstate rail system; marine terminals in New York and New Jersey; and a number of other facilities operated by the Port Authority.

Superintendent Morrone was also an anti-terrorism expert and was a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Subcommittee on Terrorism.  According to his sons, Greg and Hutch, their father had come to believe that law enforcement needed to focus on terrorists, as they would pose more of a threat to the nation than organized crime.
Ten years ago, on September 11, 2001, Superintendent Morrone’s forewarning about the impending threat of terrorism proved more correct and more horrific than he—or anyone—could have imagined.

When word reached him moments after terrorists flew a jetliner into the World Trade Center, Superintendent Morrone left his Jersey City (NJ) office and rushed through the Holland Tunnel to help lead the rescue effort.  When he arrived at Tower 1, he raced up the stairs to the Port Authority’s Executive Offices on the 67th floor.  Witnesses said he paused just long enough to reassure the people coming down that they would be safe.  “If [Superintendent Morrone] knew there was someone he could bring down he would have kept going and going,” said Port Authority Chairman Lewis Eisenberg.

His son, Greg, and wife, Linda, were watching the horror of 9/11 unfold before their eyes on television.  “Before the second building fell, I knew, and my mom knew, he was gone,” Greg Morrone said of his father.  He did not have to be there that day under those circumstances, but those who knew him would not have expected him to be anywhere else.  “We knew he would not leave until everyone else was safe,” Greg added.

Fred Morrone’s story is typical of so many other police chiefs who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  Dating back to the first chief of police killed in the line of duty—Abilene (KS) Chief Thomas J. Smith, who was decapitated with an axe while trying to arrest a murderer on November 2, 1870—560 chiefs of police have died while serving their communities. 

Some, like Elmer Baumgardner of Evarts, Kentucky, served the smallest towns. Others, like Edward Huckabay of Shreveport, Louisiana, and John F. Woods of Norfolk, Virginia, died while in charge of some of the country’s largest police agencies. But, no matter the size of the department or the year in which they died, all of these fatalities demonstrate that the chief of police is no less vulnerable than any other peace officer.

Of the 560 chiefs who have made the ultimate sacrifice, 115 died in traffic-related incidents, 356 in firearms-related incidents, 49 of job-related illnesses, such as stroke or heart attack, and 40 of other causes. A majority of the fatalities—382—were the result of felonious assaults by criminals. Last year, four chiefs of police died in the performance of duty. Ross Township (OH) Chief of Police Carl E. Worley and Lake Oswego (OR) Chief of Police Daniel K. Duncan both died of fatal heart attacks in connection with injuries sustained on the job. Wyoming (IL) Chief of Police William T. Bauer and Hawk Point (MO) Chief of Police Paul J. Fricke were killed in auto crashes while on duty. And this year, two officers have fallen—St. Matthews (SC) Chief of Police Capers Wannamaker, Jr. was killed in a single-vehicle crash, and Rainier (OR) Chief of Police Ralph Painter was fatally shot.

Being a police chief can sometimes have its rewards, but the best often take on the toughest and most dangerous assignments themselves, especially in the smaller departments. For instance, when a call reporting a car theft came into the Rainer (OR) Police Department, it was the Chief who responded.

Just a week into 2011, Chief Ralph Painter was killed by a fatal gunshot wound to the head on Wednesday, January 5. Chief Painter reported to the scene of the crime—a local strip mall—at approximately 10:45 am. Police said Chief Painter struggled with the 21-year-old suspect, who allegedly fired a gunshot that struck Chief Painter in the head and killed him. Injured by a police bullet, the suspect was sent to a Portland hospital before being transferred to Columbia County jail on aggravated murder charges.

The killing of Chief Painter, 55, stunned the Oregon town of 1,800 located along the Columbia River. Chief Painter is the first officer to die on duty in Rainier since the establishment of its police force. An emotional Mayor Jerry Cole called Chief Painter an “outstanding police officer and friend for 25 years.”

About 500 vehicles stretching 20 miles were involved in the funeral procession, according to the Oregon State Police and Oregon State Fire Marshals. A public safety supervisor estimated the crowd at Chief Painter's funeral at well over 3,000 people—a testament to the respect and admiration the people of Rainier felt for their Chief of Police.

To be expected of such a well-regarded individual, it took many to eulogize Chief Painter. One man shared a story that seemed to embody what kind of person—husband, father, neighbor, friend and police chief—Ralph Painter was. The man said his brother was arrested by Chief Painter for an outstanding warrant and while on the way to the jail facility, the Chief stopped and bought the man dinner at a restaurant. The small act of compassion, from one human being to another, prompted the arrested man to weep. "You just don't meet people like him [Chief Painter]," the man said.

Mayor Cole described Chief Painter as a “wonderful father, husband and grandfather;” the Chief’s stepson, Officer Jeremy Howell, has served with the St. Helens (OR) police force since 2004. Officer Howell was at the scene after the shooting and at the memorial to honor his father and fellow officer.

Chief Painter had risen to the top position of the five-person Rainier Police Department five years ago. “We can always replace the Chief of Police here in town, but we’ll never replace Ralph,” said friend Larry Gates.

The same could be said of the 560 other police chiefs who laid down their lives for others.  Their names are all inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and they will never be forgotten.

Craig W. Floyd is chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.  Visit www.LawMemorial.org for more information about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.