William S. Ford
Agency patch
Sergeant

William S. Ford

Felonious
End of Watch July 30, 1935
Age 45
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
The Vigil Panel 70 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant William Ford was shot and killed by a man that he had ejected from a train next to County Road in the Claxton Yards in Secaucus, New Jersey. He was able to return fire, killing the subject. Sergeant Ford had served with the Erie Railroad Police Department for 15 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-81C14DBC
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.
Sergeant Ford gave the Erie Railroad Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Ford.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Cleveland, OH
Platform Identity erpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 30, 1935
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Sergeant William S. Ford 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 OH, 572 of 991 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.7% of this state's fallen. That is 57.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Erie Railroad Police Department, 8 of 13 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.5% of this agency's fallen.

Erie Railroad Police Department
8
of 13 officers
61.5% Felonious
OH — Statewide
572
of 991 officers
57.7% 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 S. Ford's cause is highlighted.

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

How William S. Ford Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
15
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William S. Ford is highlighted in Jul.

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 S. Ford was killed by handgun.

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

Incident Location