Master Sergeant Stanley W. Talbot

Stanley W. Talbot

Master Sergeant Stanley Talbot died from injuries sustained from being drug by a driver who was fleeing a roadside safety checkpoint.

The incident occurred in Rock Island, Illinois, at 15th Street and 2nd Avenue. As the vehicle neared the checkpoint, Master Sergeant Talbot approached it and became entangled with the car when he stuck his arm inside the window as the driver fled the scene. Master Sergeant Talbot was dragged approximately half a mile before falling from the vehicle and was run over by another officer pursuing the suspect. An autopsy revealed Master Sergeant Talbot died from a head injury when his head hit the pavement after falling.

The 20-year-old driver of the vehicle was apprehended two weeks later and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. On August 28, 2002, the driver was convicted of reckless homicide and leaving the scene of an accident. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with credit for 418 days in jail awaiting trial, but was paroled on January 30, 2006, after serving only 4 1/2 years.

Master Sergeant Talbot was a 26-year veteran of the Illinois State Police and planned to retire in six months. He was assigned to District 7, Rock Island. Master Sergeant Talbot is survived by his wife and daughter, who are both members of the Illinois State Police, and a son who serves with the Collinsville Police Department.

In July 2017, Rock Island's Centennial Bridge was renamed Master Sgt. Stanley W. Talbot Memorial Bridge near the incident's intersection.