On September 9th, 1970, Officer Alphonso Wright, assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Section, suffered extensive in juries while assisting a stalled motorist in the 3300 block of S. Hanover Street.

Officer Wright had spotted the vehicle at about 8: 10 on the morning of the 9th.

After pushing the automobile out of traffic, he left, and returned with a small container of gasoline which he used in an attempt to restart the vehicle

The second incident was the result of a call for service to which Officer Daniel J. Calhoun, Southern District, responded and was felled by another assailant's bullets. The officer was taken to the hospital with a serious chest wound and the suspect was treated at a hospital for wounds suffered in a subsequent exchange of shots by other officers.

Officer Calhoun has progressed very well and is on his way to complete recovery.

The two incidents underline the fact that the most routine police matters can suddenly become an issue of tragedy and suffering

On Saturday, July 17, 1971Central District Officer Frederick Dickens was working Car No. 141 in the vicinity of Laurens Street and Jordan Alley. About 7 :28 P.M. he was approached by a young child who reported that there was a man in the alley armed with a gun and allegedly threatening two citizens.

Officer Dickens entered the alley in his patrol vehicle and immediately observed a man fitting the description given by the child. As the suspect began walking away from the scene, Officer Dickens left his vehicle and ordered him to stop.

Without hesitation the suspect turned and fired two shots, both of which struck the Officer's legs. Rushing towards him, the assailant attempted to again shoot the Officer in the head. Despite being wounded a third time, Officer Dickens managed to pull his service revolver and fatally wound his attacker.

The twenty-three year old Patrolman was transported to Maryland General Hospital where he was admitted in fair condition.

Officer Dickens has been a member of the Department less than two years

Officer Charles P. Smith, 31 years old, was on routine patrol in the rear of the 3200 block of Reisterstown Road on Monday, July 19, 1971when he surprised two suspects attempting to break into a building.

After spotlighting the subjects and calling for assistance, Officer Smith ordered them against a wall where he began searching them. During the search one of the subjects turned and grabbed the Officer's service revolver. A struggle ensued and the gun discharged wounding Patrolman Smith in the left side. Both suspects immediately. fled the scene.

The Officer was transported to Provident Hospital where he was admitted in good condition at about 4:30 A.M.

He was satisfactorily released from the hospital on Wednesday, July 21,1971

Officer Smith, a Randallstown resident, is a ten year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department

In early September 1973 it begins getting dark a little bit after 7:30 p.m. and by 8:00 o'clock the shadows have lengthened and night-time begins to shroud many of the daylight forms of the city.

The woods in Cylburn Park were outlines in the headlights as Northern District Officer Thomas Whalen drove slowly up the narrow roadway which leads through the woods to Greenspring Avenue. Just as the homes, which sit across the street from the park, came into view Officer Whalen heard someone shout; "Hey Officer, wait a minute!" Thinking that someone needed assistance he backed partially off the roadway and was approached by two men.

As he turned toward the window to speak to the man approaching from the drivers side Officer Whalen perceived a handgun being pushed into his face. In one instant it took the suspect to fire the weapon Officer Whalen, in the confining area of the driver's seat, was able to jerk his head back and slightly to the side, a move which undoubtedly saved his life.

The bullet struck him just over the bridge of the nose and exited near the right temple. Officer Whalen immediately took additional evasive action, to avoid further injury, by rolling out of the patrol car, across the roadway and into a grassy area. In the dark, and away from the lights of his vehicle he fired a shot, then made his way back to the car where he radioed for assistance.

Northern District Officer Clyde Andrews was walking his foot post in the 4900 block Poe Avenue when he heard, on his handi-talkie, calls for assistance in the woods of Cylburn Park. He flagged down a passing taxi cab and arrived at the scene to find his fellow officer, bleeding from the grave head-wound. The cab driver transported Officer Whalen to Sinai Hospital just a few blocks away.

Officer Andrews began the follow up work immediately. Within moments after the shooting units from the Northern, Northwestern, and Western Districts, the Tactical Unit and the Criminal Investigation Division began arriving at the scene. The entire park area was encircled by police cars.

Airmen from the Helicopter Unit flew overhead lighting the thick underbrush so that teams of searchers could move through the woods in search of suspects.

K-9 units, who responded, assisted in a thorough search. Unfortunately the suspects were not located.

Officer Whalen, meanwhile, had walked into the Emergency Room at Sinai Hospital. Doctors on the staff immediately set to work attempting to assess the damage caused by the head-wound. X-ray tracked the path of the bullet from its entrance point, through the area of the right eye and out through the side of the head. Smashed bone surrounded the exit wound. Specialists worked through the night determining what damage had been caused and what treatment would be necessary. Finally, the most difficult decision was made after careful study and evaluation; doctors were compelled to remove the severely damaged eye.

Throughout the evening Officer Whalen remained conscious. Even while being treated in the emergency room he saw and sometimes spoke briefly with his fellow officers. Later, as the doctors and surgeons worked the Police Commissioner visited, spoke with the officer's wife and the surgeons. Other members of the Command Staff had begun arriving at the hospital earlier in the evening, and there was an almost constant stream of concerned visitors rendering all assistance possible even when moral support was the most that could be offered.

After the surgery the Police Commissioner paid another visit. As he pinned on the Medal of Valor he noted that Officer Whalen was well along the road to recovery even to the point of discussing a planned vacation trip West. The conversation turned to future plans and discussion of getting out of the hospital.

The doctors released him on Friday, September 7, and Officer Whalen returned home to surroundings both friendly and familiar and very far removed from that road in the woods of Cylburn Park.

Both officers heard the radio dispatcher announce that a man with a gun had been sighted at Gay and Baltimore Streets. Officers Thomas R. Cave and Charles A. Walker, working Central District foot-posts, responded to the scene. Upon their arrival in the middle of Baltimore's "Block" they were told that a man with a gun was in one of the night spots located in the 400 block East Baltimore Street. Leaving the brightly lighted sidewalk they entered the establishment and were directed to the two men seated at the far end of the dimly lighted bar.

It was moments before midnight as the officers approached the suspects who had apparently spent this day after Christmas visiting some of the city's night spots. After observing that the lighting was somewhat better in a rear room of the establishment the officers requested that the suspects accompany them to that area.

As the four entered a hallway leading to two small rooms the shorter of the two suspects suddenly opened fire. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire the officers were wounded; Officer Cave was shot through both legs and Officer Walker received a wound which fractured his right arm. The gunman was mortally wounded and his partner received a wound of the chest.

Employees and patrons of the bar were still seeking cover behind the bar and tables nearby as officers, responding to a Signal 13, entered to summon medical aid for the injured parties. The on-the-scene investigation commenced immediately.

The wounded officers as well as the civilian who had been wounded in the chest were taken to nearby Mercy Hospital for treatment. All were admitted for additional treatment and observation.

Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division discovered, a day later, that the mortally wounded suspect was an escapee from a Western Maryland detention facility. It was learned that he had been convicted of the robbery/murder of a Prince George's County taxicab driver in 1968 and that he had escaped from a work detail on Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore in October of 1973. The second suspect was released from the hospital the next morning to face charges in connection with the incident.

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Shortly after 3 :00 o'clock on Tuesday, July 30, 1974 Officer Calvin Gene Higdon left his desk in the Fingerprint Section of the Laboratory Division and headed for his private auto. The afternoon was hot as he walked toward the 300 block N. Exeter Street, where that morning he was fortunate in locating a free parking space.

As Officer Higdon unlocked the door and began to enter his car he heard approaching footsteps and then a male voice state, "Don't move man." Upon turning he faced two armed suspects and immediately drew his service revolver. He pulled the trigger two times, but the gun misfired leaving him at the mercy of the robbers. As one assailant stepped back Officer Higdon attempted to push the other off balance. At this point the suspects fired, striking the Officer in both legs. He then fell to the ground as the second suspect grabbed his weapon. They both ran and were last seen in the area of the projects in the 1000 block of Orleans Street.

Patrol Units responded quickly, as a nurse who was in the area applied first aid. He had been struck three times, the left knee, the upper left leg and in the right knee. He was transported by Ambulance to Mercy Hospital where members of the staff stopped the bleeding and began blood transfusions. Officer Hidgon's condition was posted as guarded as Doctors determined the extent of his injuries and prepared to operate. At last report Officer Higdon, a nineteen year veteran with the Department, was in satisfactory condition and an operation was performed on both legs.

The streets of West Baltimore were almost deserted as Officer Alric K. Moore, of the Western District began trying-up doors on his post in the early morning hours of Thursday, October 31, 1974. While approaching a bar in the 1600 block of West Baltimore Street he noticed that the side door was ajar. Closer examination revealed fresh pry marks and he immediately called for back-up units.

When other officers arrived they discovered that the juke box and other items had been removed. Further investigation revealed a trail of scuff marks, left by the heavy record player, leading down the alley to the rear porch of a house on Fayette Street.

With the front of the building covered Officer Gary W. Dresser and Officer Moore approached the closed door that partly blocked by the stolen juke box. As they got onto the porch of the darkened house rapid-fire gun shots rang out from inside striking Officer Moore in the right shoulder and wounding Officer Dresser in the hand as he dove for cover. As Officer Dresser helped the wounded Officer out of the line of fire Officer Glenn D. Hauze was hit in the right shoulder by a second burst of gunfire as he rushed to their aid.

"Medal of Honor Recipient"