Albert W. Argens

San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco, CA

Felonious

End of Watch February 21, 1937

Age 32

The Vigil Panel 72 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 105

Incident

Officer Argens was shot and fatally wounded after a man acting irrationally took his gun. Officer Argens observed the suspect mumbling to himself and walking out in front of traffic in a downtown shopping district. Officer Argens took the suspect to a call box and called for a patrol wagon to pick them up. While Officer Argens was calling for the wagon the suspect grabbed the officer’s gun and shot and killed him. Several civilians chased the suspect down the block, where he commandeered a truck and shot the driver. The suspect then jumped onto the running board to a limousine, where a civilian grabbed him and took the gun from his hand. Officer Argens died in a hospital four days later. The truck driver, 23, was admitted in a hospital in critical condition. The 26-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and other charges. He was committed at Mendocino State Mental Hospital for the criminally insane. He was there in 1950.

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-89440121
Stewardship: 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 Argens served with the San Francisco Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Argens.

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

Agency

Department San Francisco Police Department

Type Police Department

Location San Francisco, CA

Platform Identity sfpd.sf.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 21, 1937

Age 32

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Officer Albert W. Argens 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 97,772 officers honored here.

In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At San Francisco Police Department, 66 of 106 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.3% of this agency's fallen.

San Francisco Police Department

of 106 officers

62.3% Felonious

CA — Statewide

974

of 1,837 officers

53% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious