Dennis Jerome Roberts

Newport News Police Department — Newport News, VA

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch March 20, 1981

Age 32

Tour of Duty 10 yrs 8 mo

Badge 104

The Vigil Panel 124 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 11

Incident

Patrolman Roberts was shot and killed while moonlighting as a security guard at a Department Store near the intersection of 29th Street and Washington Avenue. While he attempted to arrest a shoplifter he was shot and killed. The suspect was shot and killed by other officers in the same store almost one year later during a shootout that left an officer seriously wounded. Patrolman Roberts was a U.S Army veteran of the Vietnam War and served with the Newport News Police Department for less than 11 years

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-VA-D16C72A2
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. Army. One record, 2 gates. Dennis 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.
Patrolman Roberts gave the Newport News Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Newport News 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

Department Newport News Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Newport News, VA

Platform Identity nnpd.newportnews.va.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 20, 1981

Tour of Duty 10 yrs 8 mo

Age 32

Badge Number 104

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Military Service

Dennis Jerome Roberts served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Dennis Jerome Roberts 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In VA, 394 of 655 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.2% of this state's fallen. That is 60.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Newport News Police Department, 7 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58.3% of this agency's fallen.

Newport News Police Department

of 12 officers

58.3% Felonious

VA — Statewide

394

of 655 officers

60.2% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious