Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Elmer Patterson was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a rescue call. Officer Patterson was riding in a patrol wagon which crashed at 9th and Pine streets while the officers were rushing to a cave-in at 12th and Market streets where five workers were buried alive. The wagon struck a car and veered into a utility pole. Three other officers were hurt and Officer Patterson was killed. Officer Patterson served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 22 years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-FE88AD52- 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
22 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Patterson gave the Philadelphia Police Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Patterson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Elmer Elsworth Patterson 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Philadelphia Police Department, 110 of 378 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Elmer Elsworth Patterson's cause is highlighted.
How Elmer Elsworth Patterson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Elmer Elsworth Patterson is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
377 officers from Philadelphia Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
