Matron Rose A. Regan, Cincinnati Police Department, Ohio

Matron Rose A. Regan

Cincinnati Police Department, Ohio

End of Watch Sunday, February 9, 1908

Rose A. Regan

Matron Rose Regan died in an elevator accident inside the Cincinnati City Hall.

She was using the police elevator to descend from the Cincinnati Place of Detention on the city hall's third floor. The elevator attendant was absent and she became scared as the elevator descended. She attempted to jump from the elevator and was crushed between the elevator shaft and the elevator car. She was taken to City Hospital where she died early the next morning.

Matron Regan had served with the Cincinnati House of Detention for 13 years. She was survived by her husband, two sons, and mother.

Bio

Age 40
Tour 13 years, 3 months
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Accidental
Incident Date Saturday, February 8, 1908

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Posted on May 18th, 2018
on WLWT 5

Cincinnati police officer killed in line of duty honored 110 years later
Matron Rosa Regan is believed to be the second female officer killed in the line of duty in the U.S.

CINCINNATI —
The Greater Cincinnati Police Museum honored Matron Rosa Regan in a grave rededication ceremony Friday.

Regan is believed to be the second female law enforcement officer in the U.S. killed in the line of duty and the first in Ohio.

Regan was born in 1867 and began work as a janitress at the Cincinnati Police House of Detention in 1883. In 1894, she was promoted to the position of matron, making her responsible for the monitoring and general care of female inmates. Regan was killed from injuries sustained in an elevator accident at City Hall in 1908.

Regan had been buried without a formal police ceremony and had no headstone honoring her service to the city of Cincinnati. That changed when Joyce Meyer, of the Price Hill Historical Society, notified the Greater Cincinnati Police Museum about Regan.

On Friday Regan was given a full military service, including taps, honor guard, a 21-gun salute and bag pipes.

As many as 25 descendants were on hand for the ceremony. "We have almost all our relatives here for this," Joan Dyer Blaes, Regan's great-great-grandaughter, said. "We are very honored that they are going to do this for her."

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil attended the ceremony and the Hamilton County Police Association's chaplain led the service.