Sergeant John Verne
St. Boniface Police Service
Manitoba
End of Watch: Tuesday, July 24, 1934

Biographical Info
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Not available
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Sergeant Verne was shot and killed behind the Canadian National Railway station while chasing a robber. The license number of the getaway car was called in to the police and broadcast within minutes. One of the radio equipped cars was on Main St. when it was broadcast and the wanted car passed right in front of them. A very short chase ensued and the killer was captured.

The Winnipeg Police force had the first radio equipped patrol cars in Canada. At the time 1930, radio was limited to 1 way broadcast. When messages were sent the officers would respond directly or use a call box to confirm the message. The radios were limited to 12 hours a day because of batteries. This system played a big roll in solving this crime.