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Patrolman

John Rowe

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL

Felonious

End of Watch August 6, 1914

Age 53

Tour of Duty 30 yrs

Badge 3045

The Vigil Panel 67 · Column 3 · Line 13 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Department 570

Incident

Patrolman John Rowe was shot and killed in a gun battle with armed offenders on Wood Street. Patrolman Rowe attempted to apprehend a gang of armed offenders robbing ticket agents in elevated train stations. During their crime spree, they had killed one agent and wounded three other citizens. Patrolman Rowe assisted fellow officers engaged in a running gun battle with the offenders. When Patrolman Rowe attempted to stop the gunmen, he and a ticket agent were shot. Patrolman Rowe and the ticket agent died of the injuries they sustained. Four suspects were eventually apprehended. One was convicted of both murders and sentenced to life in prison, one was acquitted, and the other two were given concurrent sentences with other prison terms they were serving. One of those two suspects, age 19, convicted of manslaughter, was released in 1917, but went back to prison a few months later after being convicted of armed robbery. He was released again in February of 1932. On May 9, 1932, he was shot and killed by the owner of a Chicago florist when he and three others tried to rob his establishment. The 24-year-old suspect sentenced to life escaped from prison in 1918. He and others he escaped with were responsible for several bank robberies until he was captured and sent back to prison in 1921. On March 27, 1935, he died in prison from a heart attack. Patrolman Rowe had served with the agency for 30 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

30 years. You could have gone home.
Patrolman Rowe gave the Chicago Police Department 30 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Rowe.

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

Agency

Department Chicago Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Chicago, Cook County, IL

Platform Identity cpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 6, 1914

Tour of Duty 30 yrs

Age 53

Badge Number 3045

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

John is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1914, 127 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 37th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

John was 53. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. John had served 30 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

August holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Thursdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded