Robert J. Alexander

Paterson Police Department — Paterson, NJ

Felonious

End of Watch June 6, 1935

Age 62

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

The Vigil Panel 69 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 10

Incident

Detective Robert Alexander was shot and killed in Warwick, New York while investigating an armed robbery. Police had learned that the suspect would be at the Post Office on Warwick's Main Street at a certain time. Detective Alexander spotted the suspect, who wore a disguise. He didn't pull his gun as he approached the suspect and grabbed the upper part of his body. The subject had a gun in his coat pocket and fired it three times into Detective Alexander, fatally wounding him. The suspect was killed moments later in a shootout with Paterson officers and state troopers. Detective Alexander was transported to a nearby hospital where he died a short time later. Detective Alexander had served with the agency for 27 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, two sons, and four grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NJ-0DDE1461
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

27 years. You could have gone home.
Detective Alexander gave the Paterson Police Department 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Paterson community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Alexander.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Paterson Police Department

Location Paterson, NJ

Platform Identity patepd.passaic.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 6, 1935

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

Age 62

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Not available

Detective Robert J. Alexander 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 NJ, 264 of 646 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 40.9% of this state's fallen. That is 13.3 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Paterson Police Department, 5 of 11 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 45.5% of this agency's fallen.

Paterson Police Department

of 11 officers

45.5% Felonious

NJ — Statewide

264

of 646 officers

40.9% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious