Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Charles Goetz was killed after being struck by a vehicle on West 25th Street. Two cars were racing up the street with their bright lights on, and another officer yelled at them to stop. Alerted by the other officer's shouts, Patrolman Goetz stepped into the street in the path of a car coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the vehicle that struck Patrolman Goetz could not see him because of the bright lights of the oncoming cars. No charges were filed. Patrolman Goetz was a U.S. Military Army veteran and had served with the Cleveland Division of Police for 17 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two young daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-5808AA77- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant Goetz gave the Cleveland Division of Police 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Charles Goetz served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Charles Goetz 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. Charles Goetz's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Goetz Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Goetz is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
118 officers from Cleveland Division of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
