Patrolman Richard Lee Spaulding, Portsmouth Police Department, Virginia

Patrolman Richard Lee Spaulding

Portsmouth Police Department, Virginia

End of Watch Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Richard Lee Spaulding

Patrolman Rick Spaulding suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after being involved in a vehicle and foot pursuit.

Patrolman Spaulding and other officers took the two suspects into custody following the foot pursuit.

As Patrolman Spaulding transported one of the men to police headquarters, he suffered a heart attack. His vehicle left the roadway, went down an embankment, and struck a tree at the junction of Portsmouth Boulevard and I-264. Other officers located the car and immediately began CPR. He was transported to Maryview Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The prisoner being transported suffered only minor injuries.

Patrolman Spaulding had served with the Portsmouth Police Department for 9 years; 6 years as a full time officer and 3 years as an auxiliary officer. He is survived by his wife, two children, and one grandchild.

Bio

Age 49
Tour 9 years
Badge 1672

Incident Details

Cause Heart attack

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I remember going to your funeral, your procession, hearing the stories and tales everyone had about you... You were so respected, so liked, so known... I was only 9 when I attended the funeral, and seeing everyone assembled, officers from all over the Tidewater...definitely part of what drove me to where I am now, a member of the Portsmouth Police, and on the track to be an officer. It was, for me, the first real introduction to how tightly-knit the LE community is, and even though I never personally met you, you most certainly had, after my father's influence, the largest effect on my career choice. I am proud to be a part of the family you were, and you live on in all of us.

Dispatcher Charles Burke
Portsmouth Police Department

March 31, 2017