John Malcolm
Agency patch
Officer

John Malcolm

San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco, CA
Felonious
End of Watch April 29, 1930
Age 60
Tour of Duty 32 yrs
The Vigil Panel 59 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Malcolm was shot and killed after he walked up on a pay-roll robbery in progress. Officer Malcolm was walking his beat on Pier 26, when he was approached by one of the suspect who shoved a gun against his chest. Before Officer Malcolm could react, the suspect fired twice. Officer Malcolm dropped to the ground, and died. The suspects escaped, but one was captured in Tacoma, Washington a month later. The captured suspect was convicted of first degree and hanged at Folsom Prison on March 24, 1933.

Survivors

Officer Malcolm had been with the agency for 32 years and was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-8450615D
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

32 years. You could have gone home.
Officer Malcolm gave the San Francisco Police Department 32 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Malcolm.

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

Agency

Location San Francisco, CA
Platform Identity sfpd.sf.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 29, 1930
Tour of Duty 32 yrs
Age 60
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun; Revolver
Offender One executed

Officer John Malcolm 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 CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At San Francisco Police Department, 66 of 106 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.3% of this agency's fallen.

San Francisco Police Department
66
of 106 officers
62.3% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Malcolm's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How John Malcolm Compares

Age at End of Watch
60
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
32
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

One executed

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Malcolm is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Malcolm was killed by handgun; revolver.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518