Police Officer Benjamin Kine

Benjamin Kine

Police Officer Benjamin Kine died as a result of complications from influenza while performing his assigned duties during the Influenza Pandemic.

Due to the devastation of the Influenza Epidemic, Philadelphia Police districts were used as makeshift hospitals. Police officers were ordered to fill and deliver prescriptions, act as pallbearers of victims, placard homes, collect victims' bodies from their homes, assist doctors and health officers, and ensure that establishments were closed and following guidelines to stop the spread of the flu.

At the time of his death, Officer Kine had been accepted into the Student Army Training Corps while serving as a Philadelphia Police Officer. The Student Army Training Corps was a program started by the United States War Department to train soldiers for World War I.

Officer Kine served with the Philadelphia Police Department for two years and was assigned to the 7th Police District, located at 3rd Street and Fairmount Avenue. He was survived by his parents and siblings.

Effects of Spanish Flu on Law Enforcement

From 1918 to early 1919, the Spanish Flu pandemic infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed approximately 675,000 Americans. Many officers contracted this virus due to the requirements of their job.

The names of every officer who died in the line of duty from the Spanish Flu will likely never be known, but ODMP researchers continue to uncover new cases as part of our mission to never forget the fallen.

Please click here to view ODMP's Spanish Flu memorial listing all known fallen officers from the pandemic.