William Conley
Patrolman

William Conley

Kansas City Police Department — Kansas City, KS
Felonious
End of Watch September 12, 1926
Age 43
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
The Vigil Panel 51 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman William Conley was shot and killed when he and his partner went to investigate a suspicious vehicle and people they observed parked under a viaduct on Central Avenue west of Fifth Street in Kansas City shortly after midnight. As Patrolman Conley and his partner approached the three men and woman, the subjects fired at the officers. Patrolman Conley was mortally wounded. His partner was able to return fire and kill one of the suspects and wound another. The suspects planned to rob the local Missouri Pacific Railroad depot. The three suspects were all convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Patrolman Conley had served with the Kansas City Police Department for seven years.

Survivors

Survivors include his wife, child, and grandchild.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-E56DC30B
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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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Conley gave the Kansas City Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Conley.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Kansas City, Wyandotte County, KS
Platform Identity kpd.wyandotte.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 12, 1926
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
Age 43
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Patrolman William Conley 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 97,772 officers honored here.

In KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Kansas City Police Department, 16 of 20 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80% of this agency's fallen.

Kansas City Police Department
16
of 20 officers
80% Felonious
KS — Statewide
237
of 335 officers
70.7% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

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

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How William Conley Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
7
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Conley is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Conley was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location