Cleo Chrest
Agency patch
Police Officer

Cleo Chrest

Manhattan Police Department — Manhattan, KS
Veteran → Accident
End of Watch January 27, 1951
Age 36
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 87 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Cleo Chrest was killed in an automobile accident while he and his partner responded to a call. Another vehicle crossed over the center line and struck their patrol car and killing Officer Chrest. Officer Chrest was a United States Navy Reserve veteran and served with the Manhattan Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, parents, three brothers, and two sisters. He is buried at the Louisville Cemetery in Louisville, Pottawatomie County, Kansas,

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, parents, three brothers, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-4BA5370C
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Cleo is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Chrest gave the Manhattan Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Manhattan community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Manhattan, KS
Platform Identity mpd.riley.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 27, 1951
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Cleo Chrest served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Cleo Chrest is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In KS, 66 of 335 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 19.7% of this state's fallen. That is 19.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Manhattan Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Manhattan Police Department
1
of 2 officers
50% Accident
KS — Statewide
66
of 335 officers
19.7% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cleo Chrest's cause is highlighted.

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

How Cleo Chrest Compares

Age at Death
36
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Cleo Chrest is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Military Service

Cleo Chrest served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

Visit Cleo Chrest’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Manhattan Police Department are honored on badge.nw.