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Crime & Safety

Police Honor Officer Slain in 1927

Friends, fellow officers and city officials commemorated the death of Arcadia Police Officer Albert Matthies, who was killed during a traffic stop.

It was shortly before midnight on July 19, when Arcadia Police Officer Albert E. Matthies approached the parked Chevrolet Touring Car containing three youths: Frank Miller, Ray Oddell and William Montfort, all of whom were 18.

Believing that something was out of the ordinary, Matthies asked to see the car’s registration when Miller pulled from beneath his leg a .45 caliber handgun. Matthies lunged for cover behind the suspect’s vehicle when Miller fired two rounds through the rear window, fatally wounding the police officer. Matthies was pronounced dead at 12:07 a.m.. He was 27 years of age.

The year was 1927.

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Monday at noon, 84 years later, the ’s Honor Guard convened where the fatal shooting took place – at the intersection of Northview Avenue and Foothill Boulevard – to commemorate the death of officer Matthies – the only officer to have been killed in the line of duty in the department’s history.

Retired Arcadia Police Sergeant Andrew Ballantyne commenced proceedings with a bagpipe recital before John Jurman, president of the Arcadia Police Officers Association took to the podium to say a few words in Matthies honor.

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He gave an overview of events that fateful evening - of how the suspects, having stolen the vehicle, were casing the nearby Wigwam restaurant for a possible robbery when Matthies approached – before turning his attention to the present day.

“Today, July 18, 2011, on this sacred ground, members of the Arcadia Police Department stand here for honor, they stand here for sacrifice, and they stand here to remember Officer Albert E. Matthies.”

The playing of the National Anthem rounded off proceedings before retired Sergeant Ballantyne took once again to the bagpipes as the small crowd dispersed.

The ceremony attracted a number of notable dignitaries, including Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic, whose presence, he said, was out of great respect for Arcadia’s police force. The most notable attendee, however, was arguably Zora Kristufek, Matthies’ only surviving daughter, who will turn 90 in August.

Kristufek said that she was just shy of six when her father was killed, and that she can’t remember much about him, other than that he was a “big, happy man.” She did recall some of his considerable achievements, however, citing a number of medals he was awarded in WWI that she “still had at home,” as well as his work for the that he performed concurrently with his role as a police officer.

Speaking before the ceremony, Jurman said that while this was an inaugural event, he hoped to make it an annual occasion. He also said that a guard presence, each at 30-minute intervals, will remain on watch until 12:07 a.m., at which time Tom Shriver, the department chaplain, will give a prayer to mark the time of Matthies’ passing.

“Robert Guthrie, the interim chief of police, will also stand guard,” said Jurman. “Tomorrow morning, there will also be a procession of police cars heading to his grave to honor him.”

Jurman added that his grave in Live Oak Cemetery can accommodate a much larger plaque than the one currently in existence, and that a simple signature by his daughter will see a much larger, more fitting plaque installed in its place.

While the sun bore down, the mood was solemn and dignified, with many finding the event a time to reflect upon fallen comrades other than Matthies. Ballantyne, who served for 25 years in the Arcadia Police Department, was one of those whose thoughts turned to more recent times.

“It’s a time to honor fallen colleagues,” said Ballantyne. “I’ve always told people that I can’t always express how I feel about their loss but I’ll dig the grave for them.”

A plaque in honor of Officer Matthies can be found at the very site where he was gunned down.

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