William F. Baldwin
Agency patch
Railroad Detective

William F. Baldwin

Felonious
End of Watch January 18, 1913
Age 24
The Vigil Panel 27 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Location: Ohio Incident Date: Wednesday, January 8, 1913 Weapon: Handgun Offender: Arrested

Railroad Detective William Baldwin succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained on January 8th, 1913, when he was shot while attempting to arrest trespassers in the Hazelton yards in Youngstown, Ohio.

As he stepped from between two boxcars one of the men pulled out a pistol and shot him. One man was arrested on West Federal Street after a bloodhound tracked to his location.

Detective Baldwin was taken to a local hospital where one of his legs was amputated. His condition worsened and he died on January 18th, 1913.

Detective Baldwin was survived by his mother and brother.

Survivors

Detective Baldwin was survived by his mother and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-D6944CA6
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.
Railroad Detective Baldwin served with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Pittsburgh community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Railroad Detective Baldwin.

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

Agency

Location Pittsburgh, PA
Platform Identity plerpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 18, 1913
Age 24
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender Arrested

Railroad Detective William F. Baldwin 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 PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 6.9 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Police Department
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
PA — Statewide
597
of 1,261 officers
47.3% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William F. Baldwin's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How William F. Baldwin Compares

Age at End of Watch
24
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Offender Outcome

Arrested

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William F. Baldwin is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William F. Baldwin was killed by handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw.