Alhambra Police Department, California
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 3, 1933
Age: 30
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 3, 1933
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: At large
Police Officer James Nerison was shot and killed while he and three other officers attempted to arrest a man who was attempting to blow the safe at the Alhambra Theater, at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Main Street. The man fled through a side door where an accomplice was waiting. They opened fire with sawed-off shotguns fatally wounding Officer Nerison as they made their escape. The men had just robbed two other theaters and had stolen a total of $2,500. They also shot and wounded a Los Angeles detective during one of the other robberies. The suspects were never apprehended.
Officer Nersison was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Alhambra Police Department for four years. He was survived by his wife and three children.