- Home
- Departments
- Police Department
- In Memoriam
In Memoriam
In Memoriam To Those Officers Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
This page is dedicated to the Law Enforcement Officers of the Port Arthur Police Department who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duties. They have given their lives to protect and keep each citizen safe from harm's way.
May we never forget the sacrifice that each has made. To their families and loved ones who survive we offer our consolation and firmly believe that:
"In Valor... There is Hope."
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -- John 15:1
Deputy City Marshal Ed Smith was shot on September 23, 1902, while responding to a disturbance call near the Sabine Hotel. Smith and an unnamed deputy responded to a disturbance call and while trying to take the two men into custody, one of the men pulled a pistol and shot Smith. Smith and the deputy were able to return fire, killing one of the two men, but not the one who had shot Smith. Smith died at about 10:10 AM the following day. | |
James "Jim" Carlin was shot and killed by his wife Ella (Brown) on September 9, 1907. Ella claimed that the shooting was an accident, but Jim made a dying declaration that it was not. | |
Police Chief Roy Grimes, age 40, had been Chief for about a year when he was fatally shot. On December 30, 1919, Chief Grimes was shot twice at the rear of the police station. Chief Grimes died at the scene as a result of his injuries. The suspect, Jack Hyde, a former PAPD officer, was arrested and charged with the murder. | |
Richard D. "Dick" Hamilton was appointed as a special police officer by Chief Pete Williams. On November 3, 1920, Hamilton wen to the electrical shop of Oscar Spence to arrest him on a warrant for burglary. Hamilton claimed that when he informed Spence that he had come to arrest him, Spence opened a drawer and drew a pistol. Hamilton subsequently shot Spence and he died shortly after. After December 11, 1920, while Hamilton was driving home from a motion picture with his wife and family, two men in an automobile pulled alongside them One of the men leaned out through the car's window and show Hamilton. Ralph Spence, the 21-year-old brother of Oscar Spence, was arrested in Beaumont shortly after the incident. | |
Detective B.A. Harris was assigned to the Port Arthur Police Department's Detection Division. On August 16, 1923, while in his vehicle, Detective Harris was fatally shot. It is said that the attack on Detective Harris was "carefully planned". | |
Officer A.R. Bradley was the Superintendent over the Port Arthur Police Department's Identification Department. On December 13, 1936, while investigating a disturbance call with a special officer from Houston, Officer A.R. Bradley was fatally shot. | |
Officer Paul Aaron Emerson began his career with the Port Arthur Police Department on March 13, 1962. On August 3, 1967, while assigned to the Patrol Division, Officer Emerson was attempting to investigate a burglary suspect. Officer Emerson was fatally shot that day. | |
Officer Lewis Steve Hall began his career with the Port Arthur Police Department on September 27, 1972. On August 6, 1976, while assigned to Vice Detail, Officer Hall was attempting to serve a search warrant for drugs. Officer Hall was fatally shot that day. | |
Detective Milton Levy II began his career with the Port Arthur Police Department on July 21, 1980. On November 14, 1992, while attempting to subdue a violent subject who had just assaulted a female, Detective Levy suffered a fatal heart attack. | |
The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) honors law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the States. |