Walter H. Auble
Encyclopedia
Walter H. Auble was the police chief
in Los Angeles
, California
, on a one-year appointment from November 1905 to 1906. He was born around 1861 in Illinois
and was killed in a shooting on September 9, 1908. He was only the third Los Angeles Police Department
officer killed in the line of duty — the highest-ranking officer and the only former police chief. At the time of his death he was the longest-serving officer on the LAPD.
According to his obituary in the Los Angeles Herald of the next day, Auble was born in Illinois in 1861 and at the age of 25 was appointed a special officer and "worked at one of the prominent theaters of that day." On January 1, 1887, he was made a regular patrolman and became a detective three years later. He was appointed captain of police July 21, 1903.
He was married in 1888 to Florence Andrews. They had three children, Julia, Gladys and Earl. Auble was a member of the Westgate Masonic Lodge, a Scottish Rite Mason, 32nd degree, and belonged to Temple Al Malaikah Shrine. He was also a member of the Maccabees, tent No. 2 of Los Angeles.
Auble was slain by Carl Sutherland, a burglary suspect whom Auble and another officer were attempting to arrest in broad daylight on a city street. In a struggle to get the gun, Auble was shot in the neck, stomach and chest. Sutherland was tracked down by a posse but escaped prosecution by swallowing potassium cyanide
. Sutherland died in a patrol wagon on his way to the same hospital where Auble had been taken — a hospital that was swarming with hundreds of residents intent on learning the fate of their police chief.
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, on a one-year appointment from November 1905 to 1906. He was born around 1861 in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and was killed in a shooting on September 9, 1908. He was only the third Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
officer killed in the line of duty — the highest-ranking officer and the only former police chief. At the time of his death he was the longest-serving officer on the LAPD.
According to his obituary in the Los Angeles Herald of the next day, Auble was born in Illinois in 1861 and at the age of 25 was appointed a special officer and "worked at one of the prominent theaters of that day." On January 1, 1887, he was made a regular patrolman and became a detective three years later. He was appointed captain of police July 21, 1903.
He was married in 1888 to Florence Andrews. They had three children, Julia, Gladys and Earl. Auble was a member of the Westgate Masonic Lodge, a Scottish Rite Mason, 32nd degree, and belonged to Temple Al Malaikah Shrine. He was also a member of the Maccabees, tent No. 2 of Los Angeles.
Auble was slain by Carl Sutherland, a burglary suspect whom Auble and another officer were attempting to arrest in broad daylight on a city street. In a struggle to get the gun, Auble was shot in the neck, stomach and chest. Sutherland was tracked down by a posse but escaped prosecution by swallowing potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline compound, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and...
. Sutherland died in a patrol wagon on his way to the same hospital where Auble had been taken — a hospital that was swarming with hundreds of residents intent on learning the fate of their police chief.