P/O Robert M. Hurley

Officer Robert M. Hurley

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On this day in Baltimore Police History 1973, we lost our brother, Officer Robert M. Hurley, to a heart attack. Officer Hurley was involved in a car chase one day earlier, on March 28, 1973. This was more than a simple chase; this went on for a little longer than normal; it went on through more than one district; it resulted in a bailout, a foot chase, and a struggle before the suspect would be taken into custody. Afterward, Officer Hurley told others that after the chase, the accident, and the struggle, he didn’t feel right; he felt excited, anxious, and different from normal.

He went home from work not feeling well. He had told his wife about a car chase, the foot chase, and the struggle, and how he was a little tired and sore. As he put it, “I am just not feeling right.” This is coming from a guy who never complained, to say, “I just don’t feel right!”. The next day, while driving into work in his nearly brand new 1972 Chevy Impala, he felt a tightness in his chest. Then,  all of a sudden, Officer Hurley grabbed his chest. He was in severe pain, and his car began swerving back and forth in the street. Concerned for those around him and their safety, he worked to bring the car under control. At one point, witnesses say they could see he was having trouble and that he was in pain. A store owner who knew him knew he was having a heart attack; he was heading the wrong way into traffic and somehow still managed to prevent a head-on. He brought his car to rest against a pole and parked car, with little damage to either. A witness who was taking his wife to a nearby banquet (but running late) saw the start of these events as Officer Hurley first began grabbing his chest at a red light. The witness went on to drop his wife off at the banquet and came back to tell how heroic it was for a man in desperate pain to still divert an accident, bringing the car to rest without injuring anyone.

There was a minor traffic accident, but it could have been a lot worse. The heart attack took Officer Hurley from us that day; it came on as a result of the excitement and an injury Officer Hurley had the night before. He was injured, but no one knew; he had told everyone he didn’t quite feel right, but there were no visible injuries, so no one knew. That was when the heart attack occurred. One day after that, with the severe chest pains he received during a vehicle pursuit, he would die. But even then, he would die a hero, with more concerns for the safety of those around him than for the safety of himself.

Funeral services for patrolmen Robert M. Hurley, an 18-year-old veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, was held on April 2, 1973, at 1 PM at the Schimunek funeral establishment, 3331 Brehms Lane. Patrolman Hurley died of a heart attack on Thursday, March 29, 1973, while on his way home from work. He was 46 years old. Patrolman Robert M. Hurley was born in Baltimore, attended city schools, and once worked at Bethlehem Steel Corporation as a welder. In 1944, Patrolman Hurley joined the Navy and served as a gunner’s mate 3rd class in the Pacific. He was a charter member of the Baltimore City Police Union and was on the personnel board. He was the 2nd-place president of the Union at the time of his death. Patrolman Hurley was also a co-founder and charter member of Police Council #27. He was survived by his wife Angelina Hurley and their three sons, “Bruce, Robert, and Patrick Hurley,” as well as his three daughters, “Cynthia, Sharon, and Donna Marie Hurley.” He also left behind two granddaughters. All are of Baltimore; also surviving are a brother, Edgar Hurley, and his sister, Joan Hurley.

We, his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department, will not let him be forgotten. RIP Officer Robert M. Hurley and God bless For your service, "honor" the City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Police Department."