Anthony Wieczorek

Cleveland Division of Police — Cleveland, OH

Felonious

End of Watch September 13, 1928

Age 32

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

The Vigil Panel 56 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 118

Incident

Patrolman Anthony Wieczorek was shot and killed when he and four other officers went to a restaurant on East 55th Street and Fleet Avenue to arrest a Pennsylvania prison escapee. A customer recognized the suspect and called the police. When they arrived, they approached the suspect with their guns holstered in order to not incite a shooting match. The suspect, however, opened fire, striking Patrolman Wieczorek four times and striking Patrolman George Effinger once. Patrolman Wieczorek was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Patrolman Effinger succumbed to his wound on March 20, 1933. The suspect, who had been shot and wounded during the incident, was apprehended. The suspect boasted that he had killed as many as 26 men. In 1927, the subject was convicted of the murder of a payroll guard he killed in Pittsburgh on December 23, 1925, and sentenced to death. On August 18, 1927, he and another death row inmate shot their way out of the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh. The subject and a gang he developed were responsible for several hold-ups and murders until his capture. On June 25, 1928, he shot and killed Sergeant George Barstad of the Detroit Police Department during a hold-up at the Detroit News business office. The subject recovered from his wounds and was returned to Pennsylvania, where he was executed in the electric chair on January 20, 1929. Patrolman Wieczorek had served with the Cleveland Police Department for four years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-OH-355E6A64
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 Wieczorek gave the Cleveland Division of Police 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Wieczorek.

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

Agency

Department Cleveland Division of Police

Location Cleveland, OH

Platform Identity cdpd.cuyahoga.oh.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 13, 1928

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Age 32

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Executed in 1929

Patrolman Anthony Wieczorek 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 OH, 572 of 991 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.7% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Cleveland Division of Police, 83 of 119 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.7% of this agency's fallen.

Cleveland Division of Police

of 119 officers

69.7% Felonious

OH — Statewide

572

of 991 officers

57.7% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious