Greendale Police to honor fallen officer 81 years after death

Patrolman Glissman was trying to help a teenage driver

Glissman with family members prior to his death

(GREENDALE, Ind.) -- A local police officer was killed in the line of duty and his sacrifice has went mostly unnoticed for more than 80 years.

Officer Otto Glissman was patrolling Ridge Avenue in Greeendale around 2:30 a.m. on December 19, 1942.

He noticed a vehicle approaching him that was missing a headlight and he tried to flag the driver down.

That's when Glissman was struck by the driver, a 19-year-old man, who was drinking and driving.

Otto died at the scene.

"I know that the officer who told my grandmother and her mother about his death, spent hours circling the block because he didn't want to tell them what happened," Otto's great-granddaughter Nikki Tibbets told The 812.

There was no memorial service to honor Glissman and his sacrifice was never officially recognized.

The Greendale Police Department has made it their mission to change that, and to honor Glissman on the 81st anniversary of his death.

"We are going to dedicate a memorial stone in honor of Otto Glissman in the front of the Greendale Police Department in the presence of some of Otto’s surviving grandchildren and extended family members," Greendale Police Chief Shane Slack said.

The community and fellow law enforcement officers are asked to attend the ceremony that will take place at the Greendale Police Department at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19.

Glissman on his wedding day

Retired Dearborn County judge James Humphrey will be giving remarks at the ceremony before a police escort to the Greendale cemetery where Glissman is buried.

"The Greendale Police Department is one big family and as Chief of Police I feel that it’s finally time to give one of our fallen brothers the respect and honor that he so much deserves by memorializing his life and sacrifice for all to see and learn about," Chief Slack said.