East Hartford Police Remembers Fallen Officers
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.
As such, the East Hartford Police Department invites you to remember and honor the department's officers who died in the line of duty.
Chief Robert W. Kappenberg
On Tuesday, September 19, 1916, Chief Kappenberg was directing traffic on Main Street near Bissell Street when he tried to divert a motorist driving on the wrong side of Main Street. While trying to redirect the errant vehicle, Kappenberg was struck in the back by a second car. Kappenberg was taken to Hartford Hospital where he passed away two weeks later. Chief Kappenberg was the first East Hartford police officer killed in the line of duty and his name is memorialized on both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Connecticut Police Chiefs Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden, Connecticut.
END OF WATCH: SUNDAY 10-08-1916
Officer J. Eugene Callahan
Officer John Eugene Callahan, known commonly as “Gene”, was on motorcycle patrol on Connecticut Boulevard on Friday, May 18, 1934. At approximately 3:45 PM, a truck suddenly pulled away from the curb to make a u-turn. Officer Callahan struck the truck and was thrown from his motorcycle. Officer Callahan was taken to St. Francis Hospital where he was treated until October 22, 1934. Officer Callahan returned to limited police desk duty on October 1, 1935, and died of a heart attack on Sunday, November 12, 1939. Dr. F. Wellington Brecker directly attributed Officer Callahan’s death to his accident in 1934, and in June of 1940 his death was certified by the State Police Association of Connecticut as having occurred in the line of duty. Officer Callahan was the second East Hartford police officer to give his life in the line of duty. Both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and Connecticut Police Chiefs Law Enforcement Memorial declined to add Officer Callahan’s name to their respective memorials, as he had passed away too long after his initial accident, and from apparent natural causes, which do not meet enshrinement requirements.
END OF WATCH: SUNDAY 11-12-1939
Officer Brian A. Aselton
Officer Brian Aselton was working on Saturday, January 23, 1999, when, at 9:15 PM, he answered a Noise Complaint at 454 ½ Main Street. Unbeknownst to Officer Aselton, he was walking into a home invasion robbery at an apartment. Officer Aselton confronted two suspects in the hallway as they tried to leave the scene. Officer Aselton was able to grab hold of one suspect and the two struggled. The suspect pulled out a .38 caliber revolver from his pants pocket, which he had stolen during the robbery, and shot Officer Aselton once in the head, killing him, then fled the scene. After a joint investigation by the East Hartford Police and Connecticut State Police, assisted by numerous other law enforcement agencies, Alex Sostre and three accomplices were arrested in less than a week. Sostre pled guilty to capital felony murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; his accomplices all received long prison terms. Officer Aselton was the third East Hartford police officer killed in the line of duty, and his name is memorialized on both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Connecticut Police Chiefs Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden, Connecticut.
END OF WATCH: SATURDAY 01-23-1999