Detroit Police Department, Michigan
End of Watch: Friday, June 19, 1987
Age: 45
Tour of Duty: 23 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Drowned
Date of Incident: June 19, 1987
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Richard Fortin, a police diver, drowned at 3:38 p.m.while attempting to rescue four people from a boat that had capsized in the Detroit River outside Detroit's Renaissance Center. He was wearing a wetsuit during the rescue but did not have on breathing apparatus, officials said. The four people in the capsized boat were rescued by nearby boaters.
Officer Fortin had been with the agency for 23 years and was a member of the department's volunteer diving team. He is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, and mother.