Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Peter Walsh died after contracting the Spanish Influenza while in the performance of his duties.
He and other officers had been assisting the Police Surgeon and Coroner with moving corpses of victims and other tasks due to the outbreak of influenza in the city.
At least 30 police officers, including the police chief, had contracted influenza and were confined to their homes. In October and November of 1918, over 6,000 citizens were diagnosed with the Spanish Influenza in Denver, with 500 deaths.
Patrolman Walsh served with the Denver Police Department for nine years.
Effects of the 1918-1920 Influenza Pandemic on Law EnforcementAlso known as "Spanish Flu" or "LaGrippe," the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 to early 1920, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed approximately 675,000 Americans. The effect of the influenza epidemic in the United States was so dire that the average life span in the U.S. fell by twelve years. The four waves of the flu began in March 1918 and ended in April 1920. Many officers contracted this virus due to the requirements of their job. The names of every officer who died in the line of duty from the Influenza Pandemic will likely never be known. Still, ODMP researchers continue to uncover new cases as part of our mission never to forget the fallen. Please click here to view ODMP's Influenza memorial, listing all known fallen officers from the pandemic.
Also known as "Spanish Flu" or "LaGrippe," the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 to early 1920, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed approximately 675,000 Americans. The effect of the influenza epidemic in the United States was so dire that the average life span in the U.S. fell by twelve years. The four waves of the flu began in March 1918 and ended in April 1920. Many officers contracted this virus due to the requirements of their job.
The names of every officer who died in the line of duty from the Influenza Pandemic will likely never be known. Still, ODMP researchers continue to uncover new cases as part of our mission never to forget the fallen.
Please click here to view ODMP's Influenza memorial, listing all known fallen officers from the pandemic.
Effects of the 1918-1920 Influenza Pandemic on Law Enforcement
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Patrolman Peter A. Walsh died on November 23, 1918 of influenza contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.
He is one of 201 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Denver Police Department.
The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people worldwide than the war that preceded it. Police officers worked it without vaccines, without antibiotics, and often without masks, enforcing quarantines, transporting the sick, and standing posts in cities where the dead outpaced the undertakers.
They caught it doing the job. There was no treatment to give them.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-CO-CB6A6E6A- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
No vaccine, no antibiotics, and you stood the post anyway.
Patrolman Walsh gave the Denver Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Denver community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Walsh.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Peter A. Walsh is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CO, 11 of 360 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.1% of this state's fallen. That is 6 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Denver Police Department, 3 of 74 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Peter A. Walsh's cause is highlighted.
How Peter A. Walsh Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Peter A. Walsh is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
73 officers from Denver Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
