Patrolman Ernest T. Griffin

Syracuse Police Department

Date of Death: June 12, 1921

Patrolman Ernest T. Griffin had been a Syracuse police officer for one month when he walked his final beat on June 12, 1921. Shortly before 2:00 A.M., Patrolman Griffin was walking along Park Avenue near West Genesee Street when a speeding car came down the roadway and struck him as he began to cross the street. His nightstick landed 150 feet from where he fell. The driver and his three passengers sped away. Knowing he was dying, Griffin was carried across Genesee Street to Memorial Hospital, where he told those assisting him, “I’m going.” His wife was rushed to the hospital and was at his side when Patrolman Ernest T. Griffin died at 2:30 A.M.