Elmo O. Ritchie

Fayetteville Police Department — Fayetteville, AR

Cardiac

End of Watch October 16, 1968

Age 61

Tour of Duty 30 yrs

The Vigil Panel 104 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Assistant Chief of Police Elmo Ritchie suffered a fatal heart attack while attempting to place a 13-year-old mental subject in protective custody.

He collapsed after the subject began to resist arrest.

Assistant Chief Ritchie had served with the Fayetteville Police Department for 19 years and had served in law enforcement for a total of 30 years. He had previously served with the Washington County Sheriff's Office and as the sheriff of Madison County.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three children, five grandchildren, and fiving siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AR-AE830FE2
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

30 years. You could have gone home.
Assistant Chief of Police Ritchie gave the Fayetteville Police Department 30 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Fayetteville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Chief of Police Ritchie.

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

Agency

Department Fayetteville Police Department

Location Fayetteville, AR

Platform Identity fayepd.washington.ar.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 16, 1968

Tour of Duty 30 yrs

Age 61

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Cause Detail Heart attack

Weapon Person

Assistant Chief of Police Elmo O. Ritchie is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In AR, 13 of 372 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.5% of this state's fallen.

At Fayetteville Police Department, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.

Fayetteville Police Department

of 4 officers

25% Cardiac

AR — Statewide

of 372 officers

3.5% Cardiac

Nationwide

1,306

of 32,508 officers

4% Cardiac