Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

Harold Erwin Warnecke

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department — St. Louis, MO

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch December 15, 1972

Age 60

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

The Vigil Panel 111 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 175

Incident

Police Officer Harold Warnecke was shot and killed by two robbery suspects outside of a Kroger grocery store at 4312 North Grand Boulevard. The two men had just robbed the store of $1,000 and were fleeing at approximately 8 a.m. when Officer Warnecke pulled up to the store to do a business check, not knowing a robbery had just been committed. As he was getting out of his patrol car the store manager pointed to the suspects and Officer Warnecke called out to them. One of the men approached Officer Warnecke and second man circled around and shot him in the back three times. Before fleeing, the suspects stole Officer Warnecke's watch, wallet, and revolver. Both men were apprehended a short time later. Officer Warnecke was a WWII US Navy veteran and was the sole survivor of a U.S. Navy gun crew on a U.S. Merchant Marine ship that was hit by a shell. Officer Warnecke had been with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for 27 years.

Survivors

survivor of a U.S. Navy gun crew on a U.S. Merchant Marine ship that was hit by a shell. Officer Warnecke had been with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for 27 years. He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MO-09C82D7B
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. Harold 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 Warnecke gave the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis 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 St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

Type Police Department

Location St. Louis, MO

Platform Identity stlopd.saintlouis.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 15, 1972

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

Age 60

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Harold Erwin Warnecke served in the U.S. Navy (1943â1945) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Harold Erwin Warnecke 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 63.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 112 of 176 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.6% of this agency's fallen.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

112

of 176 officers

63.6% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious