Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Balk was killed in a motorcycle accident while pursuing a speeding vehicle on Boston Boulevard. During the pursuit, Officer Balk's motorcycle was struck at 12th Street by the driver of another vehicle who was attempting to get through the intersection before the chase approached him. Instead, the vehicle struck Officer Balk's motorcycle, carrying it some distance before coming to rest upon a curb. Officer Balk was transported to Providence Hospital with multiple injuries, where he died a few hours later. The driver who hit him was arrested and charged with reckless driving. Officer Balk had served with the Detroit Police Department for 4 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-7536CDDE- 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 Balk gave the Detroit Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Balk.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Otto August Balk is one of 10,095 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,588 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 Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Otto August Balk's cause is highlighted.
How Otto August Balk Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Otto August Balk is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
