Denver Police Officer Alson McCasland was one of the first to ride a motorcycle when it collided with a passenger car on Thursday, May 23, 1935.
McCasland, who had been assigned to the traffic squad for 10 years, was transported to Denver General Hospital. He died 41 days later from injuries sustained in the accident.
McCasland is one of 72 Denver police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty during the department’s 159-year history.
DPD honored McCasland Tuesday at 2 p.m. with the placement of a memorial plaque at the corner of North Clarkson Street and East 19th Avenue.
The event was part of a city-wide effort by the Denver Police Museum to place signs at locations where officers lost their lives in the line of duty.
It’s a “tribute and reminder to the citizens of Denver of the sacrifice of law enforcement,” according to a statement from the museum. The museum said it schedules plaque unveilings around Sept. 11 and National Police Week, which this year is May 14-18.
McCasland’s son Ed, now deceased, was an Englewood Police Department officer. Englewood police officers will be present at the unveiling.
McCasland was born August 1, 1897, in Franktown. Prior to becoming a police officer, he worked in the building trades, laying cement.
He joined DPD on Jan. 1, 1921 and was assigned to the traffic squad. DPD added motorcycles to its patrol fleet beginning in 1911.
On May 23, 26-year-old Muriel Painter’s car collided with McCasland’s motorcycle, fracturing his arm and giving him a severe concussion.
Police cited Painter for reckless driving. The disposition of her case is unknown.
He was survived by his wife, Rose, and son, Edwin, 13. The family lived at 1446 Stout St. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge.
McCasland's granddaughter Linda Schultz, who attended the memorial, said police officer work "gets in your blood."
"Police officers are human beings. They’re good people. Treat them with respect," Schulz said. "They have families that love them … even though they don’t know they’re here today."
Two Denver police motorcycle officers since McCasland have been killed in the line of duty, according to the Denver Police Museum.
Patrolman William Wirtz was driving a three-wheeler when he was in an accident at Lawrence Street and Speer Boulevard on January 18, 1971. He died a month later.
Patrolman Dennis Licata, was responding to an industrial accident on September 6, 2000, when he collided with a vehicle that had turned in front of him at the intersection of West 13th Avenue and Shoshone Street.
The Denver Police Museum to date has placed 30 signs honoring fallen officers throughout the city.
