Remember Our Fallen
Haze knew he was not long for this world and asked the Chief to take care of his wife and children
poster that was shown to him, however his wounds proved too severe to survive. Haze knew that he was not long for this world and asked the Chief to take care of wife and children. That night, William Hazelton Burch would become the first line of duty death of the Phoenix Police Department.
Although communication between law enforcement agencies was primitive in 1925, news quickly spread of the murder. The two men were spotted in the Tempe Buttes and were taken into custody by a posse of sorts. One of the brothers was hanged the following year, while the other was extradited out of state.
Haze is buried at the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, located near 27th Avenue and Van Buren. In 2020 the Foundation of Retired Phoenix Police Officers in partnership with members of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, refurbished Haze’ s headstone and installed a flat marker identifying him as the first Phoenix Police Officer to lose his life in the line of duty.
My hope in writing these brief articles is to encourage the reader to research more into a specific topic. In the case of line of duty deaths, particularly those that occurred long ago, I want to provide more than the summary of the story that we see on memorials.
It is imperative that we as a Department remember our fallen.
Michael Daly Hawkins,“ Haze Burch and Early Arizona-First Phoenix Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty,” Arizona Attorney Magazine 54, no. 10( June 2018), https:// www. azattorneymag-digital. com / azattorneymag / 201806 / MobilePagedReplica. action? pm = 2 & folio = 2 # pg5.“ Constable History- Arizona Constables Association( C) 2009- 2025,” Welcome Constables!- Arizona Constables Association( c) 2009- 2025, n. d., http:// www. arizonaconstables. com / AboutConstables. html # HazeBurch.“ Phoenix Weather in 1925,” Phoenix weather in 1925, n. d., https:// www. extremeweatherwatch. com / cities / phoenix / year-1925 # february.“ Police Officer Haze Burch,” The Officer Down Memorial Page( ODMP), February 5, 2025, https:// www. odmp. org / officer / 2495-police-officer-haze-burch. Michael Daly Hawkins,“ Haze Burch and Early Arizona-First Phoenix Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty,” Arizona Attorney Magazine 54, no. 10( June 2018), https:// www. azattorneymag-digital. com / azattorneymag / 201806 / MobilePagedReplica. action? pm = 2 & folio = 2 # pg5. Ibid.“ First PHX Officer Killed on Duty Honored with Refurbished Headstone,” City of Phoenix, n. d., https:// www. phoenix. gov / newsroom / police / 1027. Michael Daly Hawkins,“ Haze Burch and Early Arizona-First Phoenix Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty,” Arizona Attorney Magazine 54, no. 10( June 2018), https:// www. azattorneymag-digital. com / azattorneymag / 201806 / MobilePagedReplica. action? pm = 2 & folio = 2 # pg5. Ibid“ First PHX Officer Killed on Duty Honored with Refurbished Headstone,” City of Phoenix, n. d., https:// www. phoenix. gov / newsroom / police / 1027 Ibid Ibid
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