Leland Alexander
Agency patch
Police Officer

Leland Alexander

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI
Felonious
End of Watch May 12, 1916
Age 29
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 31 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Leland Alexander was shot and killed in a gun battle with three robbery suspects between Illinois Street and Leland Street. Police Officer Alexander and his partner Officer Louis Hacker were initially responding to a loitering complaint. When they arrived at the nearby saloon around 11:30 p.m., the loitering suspects dispersed in separate directions. Officer Hacker chased the men who went west while Alexander went east. He was killed in an exchange of gunfire in an alleyway. All three suspects were apprehended later in the day. Investigators determined the group had been involved in a string of downtown robberies. The confessed gunman was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. On August 28, 1931, he died a hero in the prison hospital as he went to the aid of a dying doctor who had just been shot by an inmate with a smuggled gun. That inmate shot and killed him and three others before killing himself. Patrolman Alexander's killer was posthumously pardoned by Governor Wilbur M. Brucker.

Survivors

Patrolman Alexander was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Alexander gave the Detroit Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Alexander.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Detroit, Wayne County, MI
Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 12, 1916
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 29
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Leland is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1916, 155 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 24th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Leland was 29. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Leland had served 6 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Fridays: 14.3%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Detroit Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Leland among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Leland Alexander

Detroit Police Department · End of Watch May 12, 1916

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 27-E

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