Thursday, October 28, 1999
Hamilton policeman found dead
Force stunned by sudden loss of Brian Rowe
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Police Division on Wednesday was awash with shock and grief at the news: police found a fellow officer dead. He was still in uniform and had apparently fallen ill in his own car after leaving work.
Officer Brian Rowe, 41, a married father of two who formerly worked for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, died after a blood vessel in his head burst, said Butler County Coroner Dr. Richard P. Burkhardt.
“It's ironic that we're planning a funeral today for an active-duty officer, because Brian was always the first to volunteer to assist with the funerals for retired officers — and that's all we've had for the past 13 years,” Police Chief Neil R. Ferdelman said Wednesday. A black mourning band covered his badge.
The last officer to die while an active member of the force was Maury Goebel, who was killed in a car accident on Jan. 1, 1986, said Sgt. Thomas E. Kilgour, police spokesman.
“It's been a very devastating effect on the force,” Sgt. Kilgour said Wednesday. “A lot of people were openly crying about it.”
Some officers were so dis traught that they were sent home, Sgt. Kilgour said.
Funeral arrangements were expected to be completed today.
Officer Rowe was discovered just before 3 a.m. Wednesday, when Sgt. Marc McManus was making a routine sweep through Combs Park. Sgt. McManus noticed a car with its door ajar. When Sgt. McManus got closer, he saw a man slumped inside the vehicle. And soon Sgt. McManus realized who the man was.
Officer Rowe had completed his shift about 10 p.m., stopped to get something to eat and then apparently suffered from nausea — one symptom that would accompany a brain hemorrhage, Dr. Burkhardt said. He then may have been unconscious for some time, and died around midnight, Dr. Burkhardt said.
Officer Rowe had an athletic build and appeared to be robust, but he had been complaining he hadn't felt well lately, Chief Ferdelman said.
He loved animals and worked part time at the Lindenwald Superpetz store, helping youngsters teach their dogs obedience skills, Sgt.
Officer Rowe, who had been with the Hamilton force since 1991, wrote a lot of speeding tickets, but his warm personality helped numb the sting of those citations, Sgt. Kilgour said.
“A lot of people would gripe and say, "Aw, I got a ticket,'” Sgt. Kilgour said, “but then they would turn around and say, "But the officer who gave it to me, he was really nice.'”
Why did fans jump to defend Pete Rose?
Moving day for historic houses
Ambulances to go private?
Legion bust puts largess in limbo
Prosecutor's '2 Percent Club' splits parties
Pact keeps riverfront plans on schedule
Stadium short of minority contract goal
Taft calls tobacco bill a victory
VA blamed for vets' woes
Cathedral repair cost questioned
'Deadbeat' Brooks faces 2 years in prison
Hamilton policeman found dead
Man's body found in Devou Park
9,200 golf balls and counting
Money train rolls for 2003 election
1940s downtown recreated for exhibit
GET TO IT
If kids speak up, bullies will back down, expert says
Mayor pedaling in the desert for juvenile diabetes
BFI withdraws landfill bid
Chamber: Sell water system
Channel 5 cameraman leaves mark
City police cruisers to get video cameras
City steps up Y2K awareness push
Fairfield agrees to drop sexual harassment charge
Family court candidates state cases
Forest Park wants community center
Glendale makes history as village gets 1st bank
GOP names first black to executive committee
2insurgents seek to oust Cleves mayor
Jewish school in new place
Park land may cost Lebanon
Rapid growth is campaign theme in Butler Co.
Response positive to high school, rec center
Southern Ohio's fall colors perform grand finale
TRISTATE DIGEST
