Officer Dennis Whalen was shot by suspects after responding to a stolen property call.

On December 31, 1923. Officer Dennis Whalen was in a pawnshop in plain clothes at 1519 East 18th Street, at 9:00 am on New Year's Eve, 1923. One man entered the shop and asked to pawn a watch. After rejecting the offer for the watch the man turned to leave. Officer Whalen noticed a bulge in the man's clothing that he believed to be a handgun and attempted to disarm the man. The man struggled with officer Whalen and a second man entered the store and shot Officer Whalen in the back, 6 inches below his left shoulder. The bullet lodged in Officer Whalen's spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He died from his injuries at 5:45 am the next day, January 1st. A store clerk followed the suspects and recovered a coat that they discarded. Two suspects were arrested.

Sergeant Whalen joined the police department in 1889, and had served as a beat patrolman, a special guard, a sergeant, lieutenant, and retired as a captain but was later reappointed as a patrolman. On April 30, 1913, he was responsible for the capture of the two men who had just mortally wounded Officer Andrew Lynch. After hearing the shooting from the suspects' battle with Officer Lynch, Officer Whalen laid in wait when he heard the suspects making their way up a nearby alley and confronted them. One of the suspects pointed his pistol to Officer Whalen's face and pulled the trigger only to have the cartridge misfire. Officer Whalen then took the men into custody. Officer Lynch died from his injuries several days later.

Officer Whalen, born in Ireland, served on the Kansas City Police Department for 34 years. He was survived by his wife, Annie and two daughters. Interred: Mount St. Mary's Cemetery.

Article by Brent Marchant