Type of Officer: Police Lieutenant
Jurisdiction: Wichita
County: Sedgwick
Death Date: 11/4/2000
Added to Memorial: 2001
Circumstances of Death: Accident Bomb squad training
On November 5, 2000, Lieutenant John E. “Jack” Galvin died of injuries he sustained on October 20, 2000, while assisting in the destruction of commercial fireworks during a bomb squad training exercise. Lt. Galvin was a twenty-year veteran of the Wichita Police Department and a seven-year member of the department’s bomb squad. During his tenure with the department,the forty-nine year old Lieutenant also served as an undercover officer, a member of the police honor guard, a motorcycle officer, and a patrol officer. Lt. Galvin coordinated all special events, parades, and the Wichita River Festival for the department and was noted for his involvement in the community. The department awarded him the Silver Wreath of Valor in 1981, the Bronze Wreath of Merit in 1985 and 1987. He twice received the department’s Distinguished Service Award and was awarded the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police Gold Award. Lieut. Galvin is survived by his wife Mary and four children.
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