Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Walter Kotch was killed in an automobile accident when his patrol car was struck on the driver's side door while he was escorting a funeral procession. Patrolman Kotch had served with the Florence Police Department for six years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-88417793- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Kotch gave the Florence Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Florence community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Kotch.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Walter J. Kotch is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NJ, 258 of 646 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.9% of this state's fallen. That is 8.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Walter J. Kotch's cause is highlighted.
How Walter J. Kotch Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Walter J. Kotch is highlighted in Apr.