Special Officer

Charles Eckert

Felonious
End of Watch January 10, 1918
Age 50
The Vigil Panel 33 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Officer Charles Eckert succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained four days earlier when he was shot in the Louisville and Nashville Railroad yards in East St. Louis, Illinois.

He was shot after stopping two men who were stealing coal from the railroad yards. The subject who shot him fled the scene. He was arrested in Trenton, Kentucky, by another railroad detective following an intensive eight month investigation spanning several states. The 37-year-old man was convicted of Special Officer Eckert's murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was released on February 20, 1953.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-B9B8433E
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Officer Eckert served with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Louisville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Officer Eckert.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Louisville, KY
Platform Identity lnrpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 10, 1918
Age 50
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

Special Officer Charles Eckert is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,787 officers honored here.

In KY, 756 of 984 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 76.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Louisville and Nashville Railroad Police Department, 10 of 15 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Louisville and Nashville Railroad Police Department
10
of 15 officers
66.7% Felonious
KY — Statewide
756
of 984 officers
76.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,787 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Eckert's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Charles Eckert Compares

Age at Death
50
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Eckert is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles Eckert was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Where the Name Is Cut