The names of 22 law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of
duty in Monmouth County are now enshrined in a newly installed memorial outside the headquarters of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in Freehold Township.
The Law Enforcement Memorial is a lasting reminder of the sacrifices made for public safety, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said during a May 19 ceremony.
“We gather here today to honor the memory and mourn the terrible loss of 22 brave Americans who put on a uniform and answered the call, giving their lives in the performance of their sworn duties.
“Each died under different circumstances, but all had one common thread – the call to duty. Each understood the risks of heeding that call, but never shied away, even as their loved ones worried at home,” he said.
Gramiccioni was joined at the dedication by surviving family members of the men and women whose names are etched on the memorial, according to a press release.
The line of duty deaths of the officers honored on the memorial span more than 122 years, beginning in 1899. Each officer’s name, agency and date of their death, referred to as their “End of Watch” (EOW) are etched into the black granite stone.
The memorial is made of two tiers of black granite and includes a fountain of water that creates a soothing waterfall. The top face of the memorial is surrounded by an etching of the shoulder patch for every law enforcement agency in Monmouth County.
On the north side of the memorial, along its base, are the 22 names of the individual officers who died in the line of duty, according to the press release.
The memorial will serve as a peaceful place for the family members of those who died and for their fellow officers to reflect upon and honor their sacrifices:
• Constable James Walsh, Red Bank Police Department, was attempting an arrest when
he was shot by a suspect. EOW: Nov. 13, 1899;
• Patrolman Charles Franklin Lippincott, Asbury Park Police Department, and another
officer were directed to handle a report of a husband threatening to kill his wife. Upon
arrival, Lippincott ordered the husband to halt. The accused individual appeared willing to
surrender. When Lippincott placed his hand on the suspect’s shoulder, the
suspect pulled a concealed weapon and fatally shot the officer in the chest. EOW:
Dec. 10, 1911;
• Patrolman Herman Kohler Emmons, Long Branch Police Department, was shot and
killed by a suspect while attempting to place the suspect under arrest. EOW: Dec.
17, 1921;
• Trooper William H. Marshall, New Jersey State Police, was killed in a motorcycle
accident while on patrol. He had been with the agency for just over two years. EOW:
Dec. 12, 1923;
• Trooper Herman Gloor Jr., New Jersey State Police, was killed in a motorcycle
accident while on patrol. He had been with the agency for just over two years. EOW:
May 9, 1926;
• Patrolman Robert Leroy Applegate, Neptune Township Police Department, was killed
when his police motorcycle was struck by a drunk driver. He was responding to another
accident when the incident occurred. EOW: Sept. 6, 1931;
• Police Officer William H. Letts, of the Union Beach Police Department, was shot in the
head, while off duty and in his home, by the man he was investigating as the prime
suspect in an armed robbery. EOW: Sept. 24, 1946;
• Trooper John Anderson, New Jersey State Police, was shot and killed while
investigating a stolen car on the Garden State Parkway. EOW: Nov. 1, 1955;
• Trooper Finley C. Fuchs, New Jersey State Police, was killed in an automobile accident
while en route to a court appointment. EOW: Dec. 19, 1957;
• Trooper Raymond P. Fiola, New Jersey State Police, was killed in an automobile
accident while he was on patrol. The collision occurred on Route 526 in Monmouth
County. EOW: Feb. 19, 1962;
• Sgt. Charles M. Cozzens, Bradley Beach Police Department, was killed in an
automobile accident when his patrol car struck a utility pole on Main Street. EOW:
Aug. 8, 1964;
• Patrolman William A. Richards, Long Branch Police Department, suffered a fatal heart
attack while attempting to subdue a suspect who had escaped from other officers earlier
in the day. EOW: Oct. 23, 1967;
• Sgt. Joseph M. Monteparo, Asbury Park Police Department, was stabbed to death
while attempting to talk a man into dropping a knife. Monteparo was familiar
with the suspect and had dealt with him on several occasions. EOW: April 24, 1971;
• Police Chief David John Lake, Ocean Grove Police Department, had a heart attack
while pursuing and grappling with a larceny suspect. He later died from the physical
stress. EOW: Aug. 23, 1971;
• Sgt. Frank Peters, Keansburg Police Department, was killed as the result of an
accidental gunshot wound while on duty. EOW: Feb. 11, 1972;
• Patrolman Jack A. Wright, Bradley Beach Police Department, was shot and killed as he
attempted to stop a hold-up and robbery. EOW: May 31, 1976;
• Special Officer Ronald P. Kleber, Middletown Police Department, was struck and
killed by a drunk driver while directing traffic. EOW: Oct. 23, 1982;
• Trooper II Frances J. Bellaran, New Jersey State Police, died from injuries sustained in
an automobile accident on May 20, 1996. Bellaran was attempting to stop a speeding
motorcycle when he crashed and sustained fatal injuries. EOW: May 23, 1996;
• Detective Sgt. Patrick A. King, Long Branch Police Department, was on duty, in
uniform, when a man shot him in the back of the head while King was standing at a counter ordering a meal. The suspect then stole King’s car and led police on 60-mile chase before crashing the police vehicle and being killed in a shootout. EOW: Nov. 20, 1997;
• Trooper Marc Kenneth Castellano, New Jersey State Police, was struck by an out-of-
control car as he was standing on the shoulder of Interstate 195 in Howell near his patrol vehicle. Castellano was transported to a hospital, where he died. EOW: June 6, 2010;
• Trooper Anthony A. Raspa, New Jersey State Police, was killed in a vehicle crash on Interstate 195 in Monmouth County. EOW: May 30, 2015;
• Detective April Bird, Asbury Park Police Department, was on duty when she suffered a
heart attack during a shooting investigation. Bird died three days later. EOW: Aug. 2,
2019.
“These 22 officers who died never asked for, or wanted to be heroes, but sometimes as fate
has it, it just turns out that way,” Gramiccioni said.
“The men and women in blue know this possibility, but they follow the calling in the name of community service. These 22 fallen officers had wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and children young and old.
“They shared a commitment to something larger than themselves – a call to serve the greater good. None sought glory, riches, or their names on billboards or in lights. Their reward came from their pride in service,” the prosecutor said.
