Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Louis Mlakar succumbed to injuries he received in an automobile crash while transporting a suspect. Patrolman Mlakar and another officer were transporting a burglary suspect to the police station for questioning by detectives. He was riding on the back of the paddy wagon, as was the custom of the day, to guard the prisoner. The paddy wagon was traveling west on Quincy when it was struck by a bakery truck traveling north on East 71st Street. The impact of the crash overturned the paddy wagon, and the patrolman was thrown onto the pavement. He was rushed to Poly Clinic Hospital, where he was treated for a fractured skull, fractured right leg, and internal injuries. He died two days later. Patrolman Mlakar had served with the Cleveland Division of Police for 25 years. He was survived by his wife, son, two sisters, and a brother. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, two sisters, and a brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-3E636D6C- 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
25 years. You could have gone home.
Patrolman Mlakar gave the Cleveland Division of Police 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Mlakar.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Louis Mlakar 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 OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Cleveland Division of Police, 24 of 119 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 20.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Louis Mlakar's cause is highlighted.
How Louis Mlakar Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Louis Mlakar is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
118 officers from Cleveland Division of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
