Battle Creek City Police Department, Michigan
End of Watch: Friday, August 23, 1940
Age: 68
Tour of Duty: 31 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: August 2, 1940
Weapon Used: Person
Suspect Info: Not available
Police Officer John Patterson succumbed to injuries sustained when he was kicked in the groin while trying to arrest a man about three weeks earlier. He was helping a military police officer arrest an escaped patient from the Veterans Administration facility. Officer Patterson died from complications after surgery for the injury.
Officer Patterson was a gifted athlete who originally came to Battle Creek to play baseball. He was a member of several amateur and semiprofessional teams and also coached. He was the coach of the Battle Creek Central High School baseball team that won a state championship in 1907.
On December 31, 1999, a portion of East State Street adjacent to the department headquarters was renamed "John W. Patterson Way."