Police Sergeant Paul De Weert
End of Watch: Sunday, October 8, 1967,
Las Vegas Police Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 60
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Sunday, October 8, 1967
Weapon Used: Gun, unknown type
Suspect Info: N/A
Sergeant Paul De Weert joined the Las Vegas Police Department in January of 1948, and was known by his fellow officers as "Pappy."
He spent only a short time in the Uniform Division before they recognized his talents and promoted to a detective. His personal file shows many citations and commendations for displaying outstanding efforts in solving some of the most puzzling crimes.
He broke in dozens of rookies, many of whom would later become the Department's leading detectives. Former Police Chief Lorin Bunker said of him, "He inspired confidence in all the officers."
Sergeant De Weert was a family man as well as a full-time police officer. He loved to hunt and fish and pursued his sports with his family.
The popular, much loved "cops' cop" spent nearly his entire life serving either his country of his community.
He was only a short time away from retirement and had made numerous plans for spending his retirement in a way that would allow him to do more with his family.
That retirement dream was shattered on Sunday evening, October 8, 1967. A drunk ex-convict shot down the unarmed 20 year police veteran in cold blood on a dark North Las Vegas intersection at 2030 hours.
Sergeant De Weert was a 24-hour cop and although technically "off duty," he had apparently decided to take enforcement action against his slayer who, by his own admission, said that Sergeant De Weert had told him to stop so he could talk to him.
At age 60, Sergeant De Weert, who had survived World War II as one of three original members of his 2nd Marine Division Unit, and had survived several previous police shootings, died in a senseless slaying just two blocks from his home.
He left a wife and two teenage sons.
Undersheriff John A. Maslach
End of Watch: Tuesday, December 20, 1966
Nye County Sheriff's Office
Biographical Information:
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: Unknown
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Tuesday, December 20, 1966
Weapon Used: N/A
Suspect Info: Unknown
Undersheriff Maslach and Sheriff George Barra were killed when their patrol car was struck by a car traveling in the wrong direction on U.S. 95 near Beatty, Nevada. Three of the seven family members in the other car were also killed.
Sheriff George Berra
End of Watch: Tuesday, December 20, 1966
Nye County Sheriff's Office
Biographical Information:
Age: 63
Tour of Duty: Unknown
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Tuesday, December 20, 1966
Weapon Used: N/A
Suspect Info: Unknown
Undersheriff Maslach and Sheriff George Barra were killed when their patrol car was struck by a car traveling in the wrong direction on U.S. 95 near Beatty, Nevada. Three of the seven family members in the other car were also killed.
POLICE OFFICER William "Bill" Robert Fortye
End of Watch: Friday, October 28, 1966
Las Vegas Police Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, October 28, 1966
Weapon Used: Officer Fortye's service gun
Suspect Info: Captured
William Robert Fortye joined the Las Vegas Police Department on October 10, 1961.
To say that "Bill" was a good policeman would be an understatement. He had an almost uncanny ability to spot something wrong. He called it a "hunch" and most of the time his hunches paid off.
After two years in the Uniform Division, he transferred to the K-9 Corp where he and his K-9 partner "Burgie" proved to be outstanding crime fighters. They received numerous commendations for apprehending criminals and stopping a great number of crimes before they could be successfully executed. On one occasion, Officer Fortye apprehended a robber as he was choking a woman at a local motel. He probably saved her life.
Bill Fortye was well liked by his fellow officers and was the kind of man who wanted to help people. He requested to work in the Juvenile Division and was scheduled to transfer there at the time of his death. In his request for transfer he wrote, "While being assigned to the K-9 Division and working alone, I have been able to fully understand what we will be facing in the future with our younger generation in trying to introduce them into proper adulthood, not only in correcting them in their wrongs, but guiding them to a more abundant life ahead."
He never got to fulfill that desire. At 0220 hours, on October 28, 1966, Officer Fortye radioed that he was stopping a northbound car on Highland Drive. There was nothing to indicate that it was anything but a routine stop. Ten minutes later, he was dead.
The first officers to arrive found Officer Fortye lying alongside his patrol car, his dog standing faithfully by his side. His assailant, in a savage struggle with the officer, had pulled Bill's gun from it's holster and fired three times.
Before the killer fled, however, Fortye's police dog "Burgie" attacked the suspect, ripping the man's clothing and mauling his hand.
The killer was captured a short time later. Officer Bill Fortye, a five year veteran, died at the age of 32.
He was survived by his wife and six year old daughter.
Trooper Robert Russell McGuire
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 15, 1961
Nevada Highway Patrol
Biographical Information:
Age: Unknown
Tour of Duty: Unknown
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Tuesday, May 15, 1961
Weapon Used: N/A
Suspect Info: Unknown
Trooper McGuire was killed in a head-on collision while on patrol in Las Vegas.
Deputy Sheriff George Hart
End of Watch: Tuesday, November 12, 1957
Clark County Sheriff's Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 1 years
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Prisoner attack
Date of Incident: Friday, October 25, 1957
Weapon Used: N/A
Suspect Info: Unknown
Deputy Sheriff George Hart was appointed to the Clark County Sheriff's Department on July 5, 1956.
Deputy Hart's short-lived career met a tragic end on October 25, 1957, barely one year following his employment.
While booking a drunk prisoner that he had arrested, the prisoner struck Deputy Hart in the stomach area. Due to complications resulting from the blow, Hart succumbed to the injury on November 12, 1957, at 40 years of age.
He was survived by his wife and five children.
Police officer-fireman edward meagher
End of Watch: March 13, 1956
Henderson Police Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: March 13, 1956
While en route to a report of fire, Officer Meagher’s vehicle, a new fire truck, collided with another vehicle while going through an intersection. He was transported to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. According to his certificate of death, Officer Meagher’s occupation was “police officer-fireman.” The department has stated that “it was the practice of the Department in 1956 to dispatch a police officer to the station and pick up the fire truck and respond to the scene with it.”
POLICE Officer Wilbur Eugene McGee
End of Watch: Friday, November 11, 1955
Las Vegas Police Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 1.5 years
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, November 11, 1955
Weapon Used: Gun, unknown type
Suspect Info: Captured
Officer Wilbur Eugene McGee joined the Las Vegas Police Department on June 22, 1954. He began his career with the police department as an undercover investigator assigned to the downtown area.
During his short 17 month career as a police officer, he received several Departmental Commendations for arrests of wanted felons.
On November 4, 1955, a burglary was committed in the early morning hours. The victim of the burglary reported the theft of some $300 in coins, a pellet gun and a .22 caliber revolver.
Later that same day, the police were called to an old downtown hotel where a maid showed them a large amount of coins taken from a tenant's room. The coins and other evidence tied the tenant, a 25 year old convicted felon, to the burglary.
The suspect was not present and the officers left with instructions to the desk clerk that she call police if the suspect returned. At 1442 hours, the desk clerk called and reported that the suspect in the burglary had returned to his room. Two police units were assigned to the hotel.
Officer McGee arrived first and went into the hotel. Hearing the desk clerk talking to the suspect in a loud voice, Officer McGee ran to the room where he placed the suspect under arrest. The suspect surrendered a pellet gun to the officers and as Officer McGee started to handcuff the burglar, he pulled a second gun from his waistband and shot the officer four times.
As the officer fell to the floor mortally wounded, the suspect took the officer's police revolver and fled out the back door of the hotel. The back-up unit arrived only a couple of minutes after Officer McGee entered the hotel, but it was too late. Officer McGee , age 33, was dead.
When the suspect was captured a short time later, he was still carrying the slain officer's service revolver.
Officer McGee was survived by his wife.
POLICE SERGEANT Robert Dula, Jr.
End of Watch: Saturday, April 9, 1955
Las Vegas Police Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Friday, April 8, 1955
Weapon Used: N/A
Suspect Info: Unknown
Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr. joined the Las Vegas Police Department on June 16, 1952, at 22 years of age.
After working in the Uniform Division for a little over a year, he was transferred to the Detective Bureau. The Department had no Juvenile Division at that time and Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr., in addition to his other duties, was assigned to handle juveniles coming to the attention of the police.
Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr. was promoted to Sergeant on January 16, 1954, at the young age of 25, and a year later transferred to the Traffic Division as the Swing Shift Supervisor.
On April 8, 1955, at 2250 hours, just ten minutes before the end of his tour of duty, Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr. and his partner received a call to aid a citizen who was reported lying injured in the street at Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont.
The two motorcycle officers turned on their red lights and sirens and proceeded west on Fremont toward the intersection where the citizen was reported injured. At 12th and Fremont Streets, Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr., traveling to the rear of his partner, was struck broadside by a car operated by two juveniles, who immediately left the scene of the accident.
Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr.'s motorcycle was thrown out of control, striking two other vehicles as it careened some one hundred feet from the scene of the accident to where it finally came to rest against the curb. Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr., critically injured, was rushed to the emergency room at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital.
A team of doctors tried vainly to save his life, however, he died at approximately 0120 hours. Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr. was 26 years of age.
There is perhaps some irony in the fact that the two teenagers who struck Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr. and left him to die, were the suspects fleeing from the scene of Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr.'s "Assist a Citizen" call.
Sgt. Robert Dula, Jr. was survived by a wife and two small children.
Deputy Sheriff William Maroon
End of Watch: Saturday, June 28, 1952
Nye County Sheriff's Office
Biographical Information:
Age: Unknown
Tour of Duty: Unknown
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Saturday, June 28, 1952
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Deputy Maroon was shot and killed during an escape from the Nye County Jail. He was preparing to serve a meal to a prisoner when a second prisoner walked passed him and told him he was leaving. When Deputy Maroon attempted to stop him, the suspect began to struggle. Deputy Maroon attempted to discharge his tear gas gun but only irritated the man, who then continued to beat Deputy Maroon. The prisoner stole Deputy Maroon's gun and fled. Deputy Maroon was able to chase the prisoner outside where he found the man attempting to steal a police car. As he approached the prisoner, the man shot him once in the abdomen, killing him instantly. The prisoner was able to start the car and fled, but was apprehended a short time later after a police chase and shootout.
The suspect, age 27, was convicted of Deputy Maroon's murder and sentenced to 10 years to life October 14, 1952. He died in prison April 8, 1954. Prison officials said he died in his sleep and had been ill for quite sometime.
Deputy Sheriff Winnie Austin Hansen
End of Watch: Tuesday, December 26, 1950
Clark County Sheriff's Department
Biographical Information:
Age: 56
Tour of Duty: Unknown
Badge Number: Unknown
Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Tuesday, December 26, 1950
Weapon Used: N/A
Suspect Info: Arrested and convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter
Deputy Sheriff Winnie Austin Hansen was a member of the Clark County Sheriff's Department.
On December 26, 1950, Officer Hansen, along with his partner Deputy Sheriff William Wolf, were proceeding east on Boulder Highway when they observed a vehicle that seemed out of control.
The officers stopped the vehicle in a safety zone in front of the Green Shack Restaurant, located on Boulder Highway, 500 feet from East Charleston Boulevard. Both officers exited their vehicle along with the driver of the stopped vehicle. It was found that the driver's vehicle was disabled due to a break line.
Deputy Hansen was standing to the rear of the vehicle, the citizen and Deputy Wolf were standing by the passenger door. Deputy Wolf observed a vehicle coming into the safety zone in their direction and immediately pulled the citizen and himself out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.
The on-coming car struck the door of the vehicle they had stopped, striking Deputy Hansen. Deputy Hansen was transported to the County Hospital where he died from his injuries at the age of 56.
The driver of the striking vehicle was arrested and convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter.