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John Thomas Burlinson
- Mar. 08, 1958 -
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(305)
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Resided: |
Miami (Dade County) FL, USA
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Born: | Oct. 18, 1931 |
Fallen: | Mar. 08, 1958 |
Race/Sex: | Caucasian Male / 26 yrs. of age |
| Agency |
Dept: | Miami Police Dept. - FL
400 NW 2nd Avenue Miami, FL
33128 USA (305)603-6640 |
County: | Miami-Dade |
Dept. Type: | Municipal/Police |
Hero's Rank: | Patrolman |
Sworn Date: | 2/1954 |
FBI Class: | Traffic - Drunk Driver |
Weapon Class: | Vehicle |
Agency URL: | Click Here
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On The Job: |
3 years
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Bio: John Thomas Burlinson, 26, was born on Oct. 18, 1931, in Morristown, New Jersey, to John Herbert and Theresa Burlinson. His father was born in 1901 in England and had been a seaman and butler before moving to Miami in 1929. He worked for a time as a butler at the Glenn Curtis Estate before meeting and marrying Theresa Looram in Miami in 1930 (he was 29, she was 27). The couple lived only briefly in N.J. and returned to Miami in 1932. John Burlinson, Sr., was a instrument technician at Pan American for 16 years before retirement in 1972.
John Burlinson, Jr., attended Coral Gables Elementary and Coral Gables H.S. He joined the Navy at 17 and served four years during the Korean War, mostly as a engine mechanic for aircraft on an aircraft carrier (the Valley Forge). In 1953 John Burlinson married Elaine Chambers of Miami. Elaine was a graduate of Jackson H.S. The couple's two children were both born in Coral Gables (John Robert in 1954 and Donald Carey in 1958).
Upon being discharged from the Navy, John became a member of the 29th Recruit Class at the Police Academy, graduating on May 15, 1954. He worked briefly for the Miami Beach Police Department and the N. Bay Village Police Departments before joining the Miami Police Department in 1955 at the age of 23. He was a three-year veteran of the Miami force when he was killed. |
Survived by: |
two sons, John Robert, 3, and Donald Cary, 2, of Miami; and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Herbert Burlinson of Miami.
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Fatal Incident Summary
Offender: |
Albert William Jacobs
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Location: |
Miami,
FL
USA
Sat. Mar. 08, 1958
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Summary: |
Around 3:55AM on Saturday, March 8, 1958, Officer John Burlinson was alone on routine patrol in his squad car, a 1956 Chevrolet, when his vehicle was struck at S.W. 16th Ave. and S.W. 7th St. Burlinson was driving east on S.W. 7th St. when his car was struck on the left rear by a vehicle which ran a stop sign while going south on S.W. 16th Ave. A police accident report said Burlinson was "in a chase" when his patrol car was struck.
Burlinson's right rear wheel struck a curb causing the vehicle to travel backwards and hit a parked vehicle. The police cruiser then continued careening backwards out of control and hit a palm tree on S.W. 7th St. Burlinson was thrown from the vehicle by the impact of the collision with the tree. The spinning vehicle then ran over the officer as he lay on the street and he was "crushed to death beneath the wheels of his own prowl car."
Fellow officers said Mr. Burlinson was still alive when they arrived on the scene but apparently suffering from internal injuries. He died in route to the hospital. (Miami News, 381958)
Homicide Det. Mike Gonzalez was one of the first officers on the scene and cradled the dying officer in his arms while trying to stop the blood from pouring out of his mouth. He helped put Burlinson in the ambulance. The patrol car had skidded more than 100 feet as it went through the double spin throwing Burlinson from the car. Miami accident investigator M.E. Gracy said that "a safety belt would have saved him." Miami Police Inspector John Webber said that the "idea of safety belts for Miami patrol cars had been considered and turned down" since policemen get in and out of their cars so often and would never wear them. The officer's death was the 37th traffic fatality of the year (in a little more than two months) in Dade County.
Burlinson was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:17AM. The primary cause of death was a cerebral contusion due to a fracture of the skull. Also, one foot was severed in the accident. Two Miami officers made the feared "knock on the door" at 5830 S.W. 30th St. around 5:00AM to tell John and Theresa Burlinson that their only child had been killed by a drunk driver.
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Disposition: |
On July 2, 1958, Jacobs was convicted of reckless driving (rather than the initial charge of manslaughter by auto) and sentenced by Judge Gene Williams to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay a fine of $150. Failure to pay the fine would subject him to an additional 30 days in jail. The court record does not indicate any revocation of driver's license even though Jacobs had refused all sobriety tests at the scene. |
Source: |
Book Excerpted in part or in whole from Dr. Wilbanks book-
FORGOTTEN HEROES: POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN DADE COUNTY, FL, 1895-1995
by William Wilbanks
Louisville: Turner Publications
1996
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