Arcadia Police to Honor Comrade Killed 84 Years Ago

The Arcadia Police Department's Honor Guard plans to gather July 18 to mark the death of the only police officer killed in the line of duty in APD history.

Officer Albert E. Matthies was in the process of detaining three grand theft auto suspects at the intersection of Northview Avenue and Foothill Boulevard when he was shot and killed on July 19, 1927, at 12:07 a.m. That intersection is where officers will gather again--84 years after the shooting.

At noon on July 18, the department's honor guard will stand watch on west side of Northview Avenue, between Foothill Boulevard and Laurel Avenue. The ceremony will include a statement from John Jurman, president of the Arcadia Police Officers Association, as well as the playing of bagpipes from Andrew Ballantyne, a retired Arcadia Police Sergeant.

The honor guard, according to the department, will stand watch for 12 hours, with shift changes every 30 minutes. Robert Guthrie, the interim chief of police, will himself stand guard starting at 5 p.m.