Patrolman John W. "Pat" Patterson

John W. "Pat" Patterson

Patrolman Pat Patterson succumbed to injuries sustained when he was kicked in the groin while trying to arrest a man on August 1, 1940.

He was helping a military police officer arrest an escaped patient from the Veterans Administration Hospital. The man began to struggle with Patrolman Patterson in front of the Battle Creek Post Office at 67 E Michigan Avenue. Officer Patterson died from complications after surgery for the injury.

Patrolman Patterson was a gifted athlete who originally came to Battle Creek to play baseball. He was a member of several amateur and semi-professional teams and also coached. He was the coach of the Battle Creek Central High School baseball team that won a state championship in 1907.

On December 31, 1999, a portion of East State Street adjacent to the department headquarters was renamed "John W. Patterson Way."