Roll of Honor
Incident
Captain Bob Cowdin suffered a fatal heart attack while assisting the Garnett Police Department with crowd control after a large riot broke out during the Garnett Grand Prix. A crowd of over 2,000 people began to riot in Garnett and assistance was requested from surrounding agencies. Captain Cowdin responded to Garnett with a tear gas kit. He collapsed on the south side of Courthouse Square while firing tear gas into the crowd as the mob attempted to storm the county jail. He was taken to the Anderson County Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly before 1:00 am. Captain Cowdin was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII and the recipient of a Purple Heart. He had served with the Ottawa Police Department for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, two daughters, mother, grandmother, seven brothers, and four sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-E6CBE585- 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
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Captain Cowdin gave the Ottawa Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Ottawa community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Robert C. Cowdin served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Captain Robert C. Cowdin 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 KS, 15 of 335 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.5 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert C. Cowdin's cause is highlighted.
How Robert C. Cowdin Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Robert C. Cowdin is highlighted in Jul.