Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Cleve Corless was struck and killed by a Grant Trunk Railroad train at the crossing at the intersection of Avon Street and Richfield Road (modern-day Chavez Drive) at about 6:20 pm.
He had just contacted headquarters from a callbox at the intersection of St. John Street and Hamilton Avenue. He began walking back to headquarters to make his daily report when he saw a motorcycle officer at a nearby callbox and asked for a ride.
Officer Corless was riding on the back of the motorcycle when it entered the intersection with the crossing. A string of railcars was being shunted along the tracks and the brakeman failed to lower the crossing arms at the intersection. Officer Corless jumped from the motorcycle in an attempt to avoid being struck but fell beneath the train and was killed. The officer driving the motorcycle was thrown clear of the train and suffered minor injuries.
Officer Corless was a widower and survived by his three children, mother, and siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-2345F1F5- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Corless served with the Flint Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Flint community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Corless.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Cleveland Murphy Corless is one of 10,095 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,587 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Flint Police Department, 9 of 13 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 69.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cleveland Murphy Corless's cause is highlighted.
How Cleveland Murphy Corless Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Cleveland Murphy Corless is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Flint Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
