Investigators are looking into what happened to a memorial plaque in South Philadelphia dedicated to a police officer who was fatally shot more than 30 years ago.
Officer Charles Knox, 31, was killed while attempting to break up a robbery on Aug. 30, 1992, at a Roy Rogers restaurant at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The sidewalk plaque was later installed at the corner in his honor.
Police became aware the memorial was missing Tuesday, Nov. 12, when an officer on patrol noticed its absence. Managers of a nearby Walgreens store, and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said no one was granted permission to remove it, according to the PPD.
Authorities believe the plaque may have been stolen some time ago, and detectives are reviewing surveillance footage in an attempt to pinpoint when it was taken.
“The Philadelphia Police Department is committed to preserving the memory of our fallen officers,” Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said in a statement. “We are taking this matter very seriously and are asking anyone with information to please come forward.”
The FOP is offering a $5,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest in the matter.
“I’m saddened and angered that someone would allegedly steal a memorial plaque dedicated to one of our beloved heroes,” FOP Lodge 5 President Roosevelt L. Poplar said in a statement Wednesday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Knox family on this sad day.”
Anyone with information about the memorial is asked to contact the PPD’s South Detective Division at 215-686-3013 or call 215-686-TIPS (8477).
