1668-1 Economics, Development, & Real Estate 1927-1945 G �ti�
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DAV I I) I3I•:AR I)I•:N
1904-1928
David Cecil Bearden, 23, became the
first Miami Beach Police Officer to be
4 I killed in the line of duty when he was
fatally wounded in a shootout with two
fugitives on March 19, 1928. Bearden,
:1111111711,
ow.' though fatally wounded, was able to kill
_ —" I one and seriously wound the second fugi-
r tive before losing consciousness. He
li then crawled more than a block to a
..,-. :,� - — police call box to summon help but was
aC14a unable to pull himself up to use the
. -v . telephone. Some time later a passerby
• - _� came to his rescue and, at Bearden's
V: direction,,. direction, took the call box key from
_ c'i-.` his pocket and sounded the alarm.
'IOC. •- '"`?1... 4 . ` •
Bearden died a day later. He was buried
t � "x : in his hometown of Pleasant Grove, AL.
: 4%. : . .*_ - The City of Miami Beach passed a
- s resolution describing Officer Bearden as
•� . ;. ' a hero and vowed that his sacrifice
, i v •
•t, III would never be forgotten by the city.
.,, I- •. • �.-- However, Officer David Bearden was
• l; y`♦ +-' forgotten by the City of Miami Beach and
` �' Y its police department as both announced
>;; V in 1984 that the Line of duty death of
fIT'
Officer Donald Kramer was the first in
�" the history of the city.
_,, or
'4 - The shootout that resulted in the
death of Officer Bearden occurred at the
"` •
corner of Collins Ave. and 22nd St. He
crawled one block to the police call box
' - at 23rd and Ocean.
,. - y I ,y� This plaque commemorates the death
• 11 40, of THE FORGOTTEN HERO, OFFICER DAVID
• _ art. 'iif BEARDEN. David C. Bearden's name is
1 �� ' inscribed on the National. Law Enforce-
r" • .. ment Memorial in Washington, D.C. . A
44. JOP
' plaque bearing his name is in the lobby
of the Miami Beach Police Department.
_-- Z, rii+ _ r His name is read each May at the Dade
� i% Police Memorial in Tropical Park.
R ,-�:�±� >T._ %. A more complete narrative of the
`- -' __s = murder of Officer Bearden is found in
- Q C BEAR Forgotten Heroes: Police Officers Killed
'�" ,' JULY 6. 19.04 . in Dade County, 1895-1993, b y D r .
4
. 7';'' e MARCH20:f9-: .`-* William Wilbanks of FL International
s,y c. ?�, University in Miami . Other Miami Beach
` .. � ':- (mina.
` br, "� line of dutydeaths described in this
• we shalt •• #o , f book are:
yes • no mGro.
A William L. Nichols (1936)
• ' •4', Robert Boyle, Jr. (1936)
•
`,,* Donald Kramer (1984)
r' -' I Scott Rakow (1988)
r