Roll of Honor
Biography
Matthew was a US Marine Corps Veteran and an Officer with Kent Police Department where he dedicated 22 years of his life. During his long and honorable career, he received many commendations because he constantly went above and beyond for his community. He once received recognition for saving the lives of a teenage girl and the toddler she was babysitting after an armed intruder broke into a home. On another occasion, he was honored for his swift actions that helped prevent further injury and save the life of a motorist following a fiery traffic crash on Christmas morning. He was a real-life superhero. Matthew received the Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year Award in both 2014 and 2020, and he was just one of only four law enforcement officers to be a trained member of the Portage County Water Rescue Team. Matthew had a big personality and a wonderfully kind heart. He made a lasting impact on many and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him. Matthew loved motorcycling, hiking, and enjoying the sunshine, but more than anything else, he loved his family.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-85F7AEBC- 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
Officer Matthew Butcher served with the Kent Police Department.
Thank you for your service, and for your service before it. We will always remember your sacrifice.
You belong on this wall. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Matthew Gordon Butcher served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Matthew Gordon Butcher is one of 256 officers honored for deaths connected to the weight of the job across the full record of this memorial — 0.8% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 9 of 991 officers were honored for deaths connected to the weight of the job — 0.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0.8%.
National Cause Distribution
How Suicide compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Matthew Gordon Butcher's cause is highlighted.
How Matthew Gordon Butcher Compares
When Suicide Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Suicide deaths across the full memorial record. Matthew Gordon Butcher is highlighted in Mar.