John W. Arnold

Baltimore Police Dept. — Baltimore, MD

Felonious

End of Watch December 30, 1948

Age 53

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

The Vigil Panel 85 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 150

Incident

Police Officer John Arnold succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on December 12th, 1948, as he approached a suspect choking a woman in an ally called Little Pine Street near Argyle Avenue and Biddle Street (modern-day Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard). On March 22, 1949, the suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. On December 14, 1950, he killed himself by cutting his throat at the Maryland Penitentiary. Officer Arnold had served with the Baltimore City Police Department for 27 years.

Survivors

He was survived by three children and 10 grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MD-3C04240A
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

27 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Arnold gave the Baltimore City Police Department 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Baltimore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Arnold.

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

Agency

Department Baltimore Police Dept.

Location Baltimore, MD

Platform Identity baltpd.baltimore.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 30, 1948

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

Age 53

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Committed suicide in prison

Police Officer John W. Arnold 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 MD, 195 of 377 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.5 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Baltimore Police Dept., 80 of 151 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this agency's fallen.

Baltimore Police Dept.

of 151 officers

53% Felonious

MD — Statewide

195

of 377 officers

51.7% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious