Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Calkins was shot three times and killed as he sat in his patrol car on Main Street. The investigation of his murder was very intense. Officers put forth a lot of extra effort comparing bullets from every .32 caliber pistol they came across to the ones found in Chief Calkins' body. On February 18, 1953, a man, 33, was arrested in Norfolk, Nebraska, after he broke into an implements store. He was admitted to a mental hospital, suffering from severe alcoholism his mother said was caused by being in a German prison for 15 months before the end of World War II. A month after his admission he confessed that he shot and killed Chief Calkins. He said Chief Calkins had stopped him and noticed a vanity case on the back seat of his car that a woman reported was stolen earlier from her car. He said Chief Calkins arrested him, placed him in his patrol car, and as he got back into his car he shot him three times. He also admitted to 15 burglaries and several larcenies from vehicles. He was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on June 27, 1953. He was paroled on December 17, 1968. Chief Calkins was survived by his wife and three children. His brother, a local constable, was appointed to assume his duties as police chief.
Survivors
Chief Calkins was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-NE-3FB680D1- Stewardship
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Calkins gave the O'Neill Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the O'Neill community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Calkins.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Chester Arthur Calkins is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NE, 97 of 151 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64.2% of this state's fallen. That is 10 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Chester Arthur Calkins's cause is highlighted.
How Chester Arthur Calkins Compares
Offender Outcome
Paroled in 1968
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Chester Arthur Calkins is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Chester Arthur Calkins was killed by handgun; .32 caliber.