Cleveland Kemp

Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Police Department — Cleveland, OH

Felonious

End of Watch June 7, 1914

Age 30

The Vigil Panel 28 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 11

Incident

Location: Kentucky Weapon: Edged weapon Offender: Not available

Railroad Detective Cleveland Kemp was killed after being struck in the back of the head with an iron pick while patrolling the rail yards at Silver Grove, Kentucky.

He was regularly assigned to Cincinnati but had been sent to Silver Grove due to a rash of box car thefts that had occurred there. He was seen following two hobos along the tracks at approximately 2:00 am.

He wasn't seen again until his body was located by two boys after daybreak. He had been stabbed in the back of the head with an iron pick, which was found nearby. His body was placed in a ditch and covered with cinders.

On March 25th, 1914, Railroad Detective Leslie Johnson was fatally shot in the same railroad yards and died two days later. Investigators at the time believed that the same subjects committed both murders. It is not known if anyone was ever charged with either murder.

Detective Kemp was survived by his wife and one child.

Survivors

Detective Kemp was survived by his wife and one child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-D1765F48
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Railroad Detective Kemp served with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Railroad Detective Kemp.

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

Agency

Department Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Police Department

Location Cleveland, OH

Platform Identity corpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 7, 1914

Age 30

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Assault

Weapon Edged weapon

Railroad Detective Cleveland Kemp is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In OH, 572 of 991 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.7% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Police Department, 10 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 83.3% of this agency's fallen.

Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Police Department

of 12 officers

83.3% Felonious

OH — Statewide

572

of 991 officers

57.7% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious