Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Carlson was shot and killed when he responded to a report of a man firing a rifle in a neighborhood at 15495 Westbrook Street. He was accidentally caught in the crossfire when the suspect pointed his rifle at three other officers. Officer Carlson and others responded to an afternoon call from the residence. According to the call, the suspect acted oddly and armed with a gun. When the officers arrived, the suspect's wife greeted them on the porch. The suspect exited the house and asked the officers if they had any whiskey. The officers said no. The suspect told them he would get some and retreated into the residence. He returned with a 22-caliber rifle. Officer Carlson was shot in the crossfire. The suspect was shot and killed. Officer Carlson was a United States Army Korean War veteran who served with the Detroit Police Department for 17 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two daughters, his mother, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-52F80124- 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 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 Carlson gave the Detroit Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Harold E. Carlson served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Harold E. Carlson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Harold E. Carlson's cause is highlighted.
How Harold E. Carlson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Harold E. Carlson is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
