History of the Augusta Police Department


Fallen Officers
Retirees
Annual Data and Annual Report

RESPECT. HONOR. REMEMBER.

84 Maine police officers have died in the line of duty. The Augusta Police Department has two of our officer names on the Memorial.


Officer Rufus Lishness

On November 11, 1884, Police Officer Rufus Lishness, 45, was shot and killed in the line of duty by Harry Burns at a tenement called "Old Fort" on the east side of the Kennebec River (the Fort Western). He was responding to a disturbance call with another officer. They went to arrest Harry Burns, and when they could not gain access at the entrance, Officer Lishness shoved up a window and was about to climb in when Burns fired a shot at him, striking Lishness in the head. Lishness was able to walk to the police station with the help of another officer but soon afterward became unconscious later dying of his wounds. His last words were "I did my duty, didn't I?" At that time, the Police Office was located in the basement of "4 Bridge Street) which had a rear entrance at Front Street near the corner of Bridge Street. An hour later, Burns was arrested by Officer Bruce and City Marshal Farrington. Burns was 65 years old at the time, was a prior inmate (patient) at the National Soldiers Home at Togus, and was addicted to the use of liquor. Lishness left behind a wife and six children. Officer Lishness was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.




OFFICER SELDEN JONES

On May 17, 1930, Officer Selden Jones, 25, the Department motor officer was killed in a crash involving his motorcycle5. Jones was the second Augusta Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty. Born in 1905 he was 25 years old at the time of his death. Officer. Jones had just passed an automobile on Bangor Street near the intersection of North Belfast Ave. when his machine hit a hole in the road. Officer. Jones hit his head on the ground and died 45 minutes later at the Augusta General Hospital. Jones who was a Sergeant in Company F, 193rd Infantry, Maine National Guard, was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery with full military honors.

Augusta Police Department Retirees

This is not an all-inclusive list. It has been compiled using personal recollection of past employees. Many personnel records were lost during the flood of 1987.

Check out our most recent APD Annual Report!