Trooper Charles Clinton Black, Maine State Police, Maine

Trooper Charles Clinton Black

Maine State Police, Maine

End of Watch Thursday, July 9, 1964

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Charles Clinton Black

Trooper Charles Black was shot and killed while responding to a bank robbery at First National Bank of Biddeford in South Berwick, Maine just before 10 a.m.

Trooper Black was off-duty that day, but was required to report to the municipal courthouse behind the bank to prosecute a traffic violation. He was in uniform when he responded to shouts from civilians on the street that the bank was being robbed.

As the two suspects ran from the bank one of them spotted Trooper Black and shot him five times. A bystander grabbed Trooper Black's service revolver and apprehended one of the suspects who had slipped and fallen behind. The other suspect was captured later that day in New Hampshire.

Both suspects were convicted of Trooper Black's murder and sentenced to life in prison. Both were convicted felons who had been released from prison - one of them only a week prior to the fatal bank robbery. Following their life sentence for Trooper Black's murder, both men were paroled in 1972.

Trooper Black was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Maine State Police for six years. He was survived by his pregnant wife, who gave birth to a son, by his two other young sons, and by his sister and brother.

The agency's annual Trooper of the Year award was named in his honor.

Bio

Age 28
Tour 6 years
Badge Not available
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .22 caliber
Offender Paroled in 1972

robbery

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Most Recent Reflection

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I met Chuck Black in 1982 at Phillips Exeter Academy, as a sophomore. He was the most loyal friend I had; reliable and no nonsense.

After all these years, he is still the same, but now he is a true leader as the President of the Trooper Black Foundation, honoring his dad and the broader First Responder community. As a retired Police Sergeant from Oakland, California, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of police work. It is a great career serving alongside men and women who are like minded and want to make communities safer from the savages and thugs who prey amongst us.

But this career also brings unbearable loss. On March 21, 2009, we lost four officers in Oakland, killed by a cowardly parolee whose life was terminated at the scene by return fire. The pain from these events is permanent.

I know that Chuck and his family, like others who have endured similar tragedies, carry on with quiet strength and resilience; and now Chuck is transforming that pain into purpose — helping others who face the same losses his family experienced through the Trooper Black Foundation.

Chuck is a reflection of his father’s legacy. While some may say “End of Watch,” I know Trooper Black suits up every day — through his son and family — as they continue to serve others. I am really proud to support this cause and to have Chuck as my friend.

Sergeant Walker Bardsley (Ret.)
Oakland Police Department

October 6, 2025