Gone But Not Forgotten: Officers Killed In The Line Of Duty

Every day in America, law enforcement officers risk their lives for the betterment of our communities. But our brave men and women face more and more uncertainty in the line of duty.

On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 53 hours, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. In 2010 alone, 162 officers were killed in the line of duty -- a 40 percent increase from 2009. What is even more frightening is the fact that 38 law enforcement officers have been murdered in the line of duty since January 2011. We're just months into 2011, and already two U.S. Marshals have been slain  only the second and third since 1992, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller and U.S. Marshal John Perry were murdered by armed suspects resisting arrest.

Most of the time, suspects are captured or killed in shootouts with authorities, but some escaped and still need to be brought to justice. Here are just a few of the unsolved law enforcement death cases that need to be solved:

Sgt. Chris Reyka

Broward County Sheriff's Office, Fla.

A local cop came out of retirement to help his brothers in law enforcement to solve a very important case. Detective John Curcio of Broward County Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale has developed a new theory with new clues, and they're hoping you can help figure out who killed Sgt. Chris Reyka.
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Officer Michael Bailey

Chicago Police Department, Ill.

Just weeks away from retirement, 20-year veteran Officer Michael Bailey had just gotten home from work when some heartless thugs tried to rob him in July 2010. The suspects opened fire on Officer Bailey, and he shot back. But tragically, he wouldn't survive the firefight.
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Officer Alfred Johnson

Atlanta Police Department, Ga.

When Atlanta Police Officer Alfred Johnson was shot and killed during a grocery store robbery in 1980, no one could have predicted that his killers would still be roaming free more than 30 years later. Now there is new hope for justice.
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Sgt. Greg Martin

Jonesville Police Department, N.C.

Police in Jonesville, N.C., haven't given up hope in tracking down a cold-blooded killer. On Oct. 4, 1996, Sgt. Martin was working the overnight shift when someone shot him and disappeared. In July 2007, New Jersey police arrested a murder suspect with a strong resemblance to the composite sketch of Sgt. Martin's killer. That suspect is Adam Leroy Lane, who was in fact living near Jonesville at the time of Sgt. Martin's murder. But N.C. cops say there is no concrete connection to the Sgt. Greg Martin case.
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Patrolman Charles H. Shaw

Nassau County Police Department, N.Y.

While he and his partner were checking out a suspicious vehicle, 33-year-old Patrolman Shaw and his partner were caught in gunfire by an unknown assailant. The vehicle under investigation had just been stolen from just half a mile away. Patrolman Shaw was with the department for three years.

Officer Howard Dallies

Orange County Police Department, Calif.

Officer Dallies, 36, was on a routine traffic stop in 1993 when he was shot and killed by a motorcyclist. Officer Dallies was a nine-year veteran of the Orange County Police Department and is survived by his wife and two sons.

Officer Kenneth Bateman Jr.

Darien Police Department, Conn.

On Memorial Day 1981, 34-year-old Patrol Officer Kenneth Bateman Jr. responded to a burglary alarm at a fast food restaurant off of Interstate 95. When supporting officers came to the scene, Officer Bateman was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to the neck. Bateman would later die from his wounds, but two witnesses spotted a heavy-set man escaping the scene. Police are still looking for that man.

Officer Ronald Hearn

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police, N.Y.

Officer Ronald Hearn was manning a metal detector at the Bronx VA Hospital in New York City the day he was shot to death.  A man who’d walked through the detector had set it off, and as 49-year-old Officer Hearn approached him, he was shot in his side. Eight years later, Officer Hearn’s brother-in-law, NYPD Officer Charles Davis, was also murdered in the line of duty.

Officer Frederick Cione

Philadelphia Police Department, Penn.

In 1970, 26-year-old Officer Cione was murdered as he approached three men in the 1700 block of West Oxford Street in Philadelphia. Authorities believe one of the suspects fired three shots at Officer Cione. His death remains Philadelphia's only unsolved police murder case.