Incident
Officer Kevin Welsh drowned after jumping into the Anacostia River in an attempt to rescue a suicidal woman who had jumped off of the 11th Street Bridge. While in the water Officer Welsh indicated he needed help but went under and drowned before he could be rescued. His body was recovered four hours later. Officer Welsh was assigned to the Special Operations Division and had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his expectant wife and two children. In 2022, the 11th Street bridge was renamed the 11th Street Kevin J. Welsh Memorial Bridge.
Survivors
He was survived by his expectant wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Welsh gave the Metropolitan Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Washington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Welsh.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Accident
Metropolitan Police Department has lost 131 officers; 48 of them lost to accidents.
Kevin is one of 453 officers lost to accidents in DC, 31.9% of the 1,419 remembered there.
Kevin is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.
Kevin is one of 10,100 officers lost to accidents worldwide, 29.8% of the 33,917 remembered here.
33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 1986, 1 officer at Metropolitan Police Department was lost to accidents, the 9th heaviest of 39 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 3.
In 1986, 4 officers in DC were lost to accidents, the 39th heaviest of 125 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 14.
In 1986, 82 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 23rd heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.
In 1986, 93 officers worldwide were lost to accidents, the 31st heaviest of 200 years on record. The heaviest was 1930, with 131.
Who
Kevin was 34. Of the 46 lost to accidents at Metropolitan Police Department whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 44.5; the middle age was 38. Kevin had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 8 years.
Kevin was 34. Of the 425 lost to accidents in DC whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 46; the middle age was 38. Kevin had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 7 years.
Kevin was 34. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Kevin had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Kevin was 34. Of the 9,451 lost to accidents worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 45; the middle age was 36. Kevin had served 7 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
August holds 10.4% of these deaths at Metropolitan Police Department; February holds the most, 12.5%. Mondays: 22.9%.
August holds 8.6% of these deaths in DC; July holds the most, 10.6%. Mondays: 11.7%.
August holds 9.5% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Mondays: 13.4%.
August holds 9.3% of these deaths worldwide, more than any other month. Mondays: 13.5%.
How
Accident deaths account for 36.6% of all 131 deaths at Metropolitan Police Department, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 31.9% of all 1,419 deaths in DC, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 29.8% of all 33,917 deaths worldwide, the 2nd most common cause.
His people
Metropolitan Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Kevin among them.
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Francis M. Doyle
Dec 29, 1871
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Robert Fleet Aug 20, 1874
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John H. Fowler Sep 9, 1884
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Americus N. Crippin Nov 5, 1889
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Adolphus C. Constantine Sep 10, 1891
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Junius B. Slack Nov 27, 1891
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Frederick M. Passau
May 17, 1899
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John J. Smith
Jul 7, 1904
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William E. Yetton
Nov 9, 1908
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William H. Mathews
Mar 5, 1909
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Eugene Calvin Smith
Jan 1, 1910
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William Charles Farquhar
Oct 22, 1913
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Willie R. Gawen Mar 2, 1915
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John A. Conrad
May 21, 1918
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David T. Dunigan
May 21, 1918
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Lester M. Kidwell
Jul 11, 1918
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Joseph Presley Marcus Barker
Oct 10, 1918
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Archie Auran
Oct 11, 1918
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John Wesley Conrad Oct 19, 1918
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John Frederick Jeffries
Oct 19, 1918
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John R. Bennett
Oct 25, 1918
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Harry Wilson
Jul 21, 1919
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Isaac B. Halbfinger
Jul 22, 1919
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James E. Armstrong
Dec 20, 1919
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Oscar A. McKimmie
Jan 17, 1920
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Preston E. Bradley
Feb 21, 1921
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Samuel C. Hayden Feb 27, 1921
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George D. Chinn
Oct 20, 1921
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Edmund P. Keleher Jan 10, 1922
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Frederick G. Stange Feb 28, 1923
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John Purcell Oct 17, 1923
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Raymond C. Leisinger
Aug 28, 1924
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Claude C. Koontz Nov 30, 1925
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Earl A. Skinner Jun 9, 1926
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Leo W. Karl Busch
Sep 28, 1926
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James G. Helm Feb 11, 1928
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Claude O. Rupe
Oct 14, 1928
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John Francis McAuliffe
Jan 21, 1929
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William S. Buchanan
Apr 18, 1929
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Harry J. McDonald Jul 22, 1929
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Edgar Preston Alexander
Nov 16, 1929
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Ross H. Kaylor
Dec 10, 1929
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Frederick W. Bauer Jun 6, 1930
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Frank J. Scoville Sep 24, 1930
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Jessie L. Taylor
May 17, 1931
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Charles D. Poole
Aug 4, 1931
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Arthur H. Gelhar
Aug 8, 1931
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Elmer A. Swanson
Jul 5, 1932
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George W. Shinault
Aug 14, 1932
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Raymond V. Sinclair
Dec 28, 1934
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Frank L. Nussbaum
Feb 16, 1936
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Paul W. Jones
Mar 14, 1936
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Ernest T. Wessells Apr 23, 1938
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Richard T. Conklin
Jun 5, 1938
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Raymond E. Grant
Aug 14, 1939
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Robert W. Davis
Jan 1, 1940
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Charles F. Cummins, Jr.
Jun 12, 1940
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Uel M. Gaile
Aug 19, 1940
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Irving Rosenburg
Feb 15, 1942
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Charles R. Johnston
May 9, 1943
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William J. Weston, Jr. Mar 4, 1945
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Donald W. Downs
Sep 1, 1946
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Harry E. Hamilton
Nov 1, 1946
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Richard H. Taylor
Dec 13, 1946
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Hubert W. Estes
May 16, 1947
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Mortimer P. Donoghue
Sep 16, 1948
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Grady A. Beacham
Dec 2, 1948
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George W. Cassels
Jul 12, 1953
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Lester G. Myers
Nov 13, 1958
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Harold K. Shelton
May 3, 1959
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Donald Joseph Brereton
Jan 7, 1960
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Terrell Monroe Dodson
Apr 17, 1960
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James J Roche
Jun 30, 1962
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Elmer L. Hunter
Mar 20, 1963
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David Clark Higginbotham
Dec 7, 1963
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Robert D. Handwerk
Jan 24, 1964
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Martin I. Donovan
Jul 9, 1964
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Marcus Preston Willis
Dec 27, 1965
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Marvin Lee Stocker
Mar 23, 1966
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Russell W. Ponton
May 2, 1967
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Gilbert Moral Silvia
Nov 25, 1967
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Lawrence Lewellyn Dorsey
Feb 2, 1968
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Eugene I. Williams
Feb 27, 1968
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Stephen Acheson Williams
Jul 2, 1968
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Willie C. Ivery, Jr.
Nov 15, 1968
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Michael J. Cody
Jul 14, 1969
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David C. Hawfield
Jul 14, 1969
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Allan L. Nairn
Nov 30, 1969
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David Harry Rose
Feb 20, 1971
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Glen Patrick Fisher
Mar 10, 1971
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Jerrard Foster Young
May 21, 1971
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William L. Sigmon
May 25, 1971
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Jerry Wayne Morris
Dec 4, 1971
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Dana Edward Harwood
Sep 25, 1972
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Ronnie W. Hassell
Dec 2, 1972
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George D. Jones, Jr.
Mar 24, 1973
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Gail A. Cobb
Sep 20, 1974
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Michael J. Acri
Oct 16, 1976
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Bruce Wesley Wilson
Apr 26, 1977
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Bernis Carr, Jr.
Feb 16, 1978
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Richard F. Giguere
Jun 6, 1979
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Alfred V. Jackson
Jun 6, 1979
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Arthur P. Snyder
Feb 12, 1980
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Donald G. Luning
Sep 14, 1982
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Robert K. Best
Dec 15, 1982
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Raymond E. Mumford
Mar 11, 1983
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Joseph M. Cournoyer
Jan 29, 1985
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Kevin Joseph Welsh
Aug 4, 1986
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Robert Remington
May 19, 1987
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James L. Gordon
Dec 14, 1987
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Ernest Carlyle Ricks, III
May 16, 1989
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Jason Edward White
Dec 30, 1993
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Henry Joseph Daly
Nov 22, 1994
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James Madison McGee, Jr.
Feb 7, 1995
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Scot Shaffer Lewis
Oct 9, 1995
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Anthony W. Simms
Jun 3, 1996
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Brian T. A. Gibson
Feb 5, 1997
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Oliver Wendell Smith, Jr.
Feb 26, 1997
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Robert Louis Johnson, Jr.
Apr 27, 1997
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Thomas Franklin Hamlette, Jr.
Jul 18, 1998
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 16-E
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Others Who Wore This Badge
130 officers from Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















