Robert D. Patterson

Birmingham Police Dept. — Birmingham, AL

Accident

End of Watch October 31, 1982

Age 51

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

The Vigil Panel 126 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 48

Incident

Police Officer Robert Patterson was shot and killed by another officer who mistook him for an offender. Officer Patterson was working plainclothes, secondary employment job at a nightclub on Morris Avenue. He had broken up a fight between two women and disarmed one of them who had pulled out a knife. As Officer Patterson walked the woman out of the nightclub he encountered an on-duty officer who was unaware of what had just occurred and mistook Officer Patterson as an offender who was holding a woman at knifepoint. The officer grabbed Officer Patterson's arm and shot him. Officer Patterson died in surgery a short time later.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AL-1A99DAE0
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

20 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Patterson gave the Birmingham Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Patterson.

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

Agency

Department Birmingham Police Dept.

Location Birmingham, AL

Platform Identity birmpd.jefferson.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 31, 1982

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 51

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Offender who was holding a woman at knifepoint.

Police Officer Robert D. Patterson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In AL, 182 of 643 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.3% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At Birmingham Police Dept., 14 of 49 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.

Birmingham Police Dept.

of 49 officers

28.6% Accident

AL — Statewide

182

of 643 officers

28.3% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident