The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Being a cop in Baltimore, Maryland has never been just a job. For generations of officers, it has been a test of resolve carried out in one of America’s most violent cities, where the murder of police officers was not an abstract fear, but a lived reality. The streets remembered everything, even when time moved on. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LawEnforcementTalkRadioShow">Facebook </a> , Instagram , LinkedIn , <a href="https://medium.com/@letradioshow"> Medium</a> and other social media platforms.
For John Jay Wiley, the host of the La Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, also a retired Baltimore police officer, that reality resurfaced decades later through a candid conversation with retired Baltimore Police Detective Gary McLhinney. Shared across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other Social Media and Media platforms as part of a Podcast, the discussion centered on a crime that forever shaped their careers: the murder of Baltimore Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo. This Special Episode of the Podcast is available and shared for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and most major podcast platforms.
“This was something I carried with me from 1985,” John Jay Wiley, the retired Baltimore Police Sergeant said. “It stayed buried, but it was never gone.” The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like <a href="https://medium.com/@letradioshow" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Medium </a> , <a href="https://lawenforcementtalkradio.blogspot.com"> Blogspot </a> and Linkedin .
The Murder of Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo
On November 18, 1985, Officer Vincent J. Adolfo of the Baltimore Police Department was performing routine police work in a city already known for violence. That night, officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle. The suspect vehicle rammed another patrol car, and all occupants fled on foot.
Officer Adolfo pursued one suspect into Iron Alley.
“He thought the suspect was surrendering,” the retired officer explained. “That’s what makes this so hard to accept.”
As Officer Adolfo approached, the suspect suddenly produced a .357 caliber handgun and opened fire. Officer Adolfo was struck in both the chest and the back. At the time, his department-issued ballistic vest contained only a front panel, capable of stopping rounds up to .38 caliber. Available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and most major Podcast networks.
“The equipment wasn’t what it is today,” Gary McLhinney said. “He never had a chance.”
Officer Adolfo died from his wounds, becoming another name etched into Baltimore’s long and painful history of officers killed in the line of duty. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode.
The suspect fled the state and was later apprehended in Oklahoma. He was extradited back to Maryland, convicted, and ultimately executed in 1997 for the murder.
A Crime That Followed Careers for Decades
The murder of Officer Adolfo connected two men who would later reflect on their careers from retirement, men who had never worked together, yet shared the same burden.
Retired Baltimore Police Detective Gary McLhinney played a critical role in helping his former colleague, radio and odcast host confront unresolved guilt and regret. Look for The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
“Gary helped me finally put things to rest,” John Jay Wiley said. “He understood because he lived it too.”
Both men served during an era when killing police officers in Baltimore was not rare. It was a time when violent crime surged, fueled first by heroin in the 1970s and later by crack cocaine in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“You didn’t count years by calendars,” Gary McLhinney said. “You counted them by funerals.”
Policing One of America’s Most Violent Cities
Baltimore City, an independent city under the Maryland Constitution since 1851, has long struggled with crime rates well above the national average. With a population of more than 585,000 at the 2020 census and part of a metropolitan area exceeding 2.8 million residents, Baltimore’s challenges have been both urban and systemic. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Available for free on their website and streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and other podcast platforms.
In 1993, the city recorded a peak of 353 homicides, during a period when the population was nearly 130,000 higher than it is today. In 2019, Baltimore recorded 348 killings, nearly matching that grim record. Though the city saw a sharp decline to 201 homicides in 2024, the scars of decades of violence remain.
“These numbers don’t tell the whole story,” Gary McLhinney said. “They don’t show the officers who went home different, or didn’t go home at all.”
The decline in homicide rates in 2011, when killings dipped below 200 for the first time since 1978, was credited to focused enforcement on repeat violent offenders and increased community engagement. But the gains proved fragile. Homicides climbed again in 2012 and 2013, defying national trends and reinforcing the unpredictable nature of violent crime in Baltimore.
Gary McLhinney’s Career and Leadership
Gary McLhinney came from a family of firefighters but chose a different calling.
“He wanted to be a Baltimore City police officer,” his colleague said. “That’s where his heart was.”
McLhinney loved the job and the people he served alongside. After retiring from the Baltimore Police Department, he was appointed Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. In that role, he oversaw security for the Port of Baltimore, BWI Marshall Airport, and the state’s bridges, tunnels, and toll roads, particularly during the tense years following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. It is discussed across News platforms and shared on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Apple, and Spotify, where true crime audiences continue to get their content.
“Those were years where the weight of responsibility never let up,” McLhinney said. “But Baltimore prepared us for that.”
Preserving the Stories in a Book
McLhinney later turned his attention to preserving the stories of officers lost in the line of duty. Along with renowned journalist and author Kevin Cowherd, he co-wrote Bleeding Blue: Four Decades Policing the Violent City of Baltimore.
“The book isn’t about glory,” McLhinney said. “It’s about remembering the men and women who paid the ultimate price.”
The Book documents decades of violence, sacrifice, and resilience within the Baltimore Police Department. Portions of the proceeds benefit the Signal 13 Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1983 to support Baltimore police officers and their families through financial hardship grants and scholarships. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode.
You can find the show on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn, as well as read companion articles and updates on Medium, Blogspot, YouTube, and even IMDB.
Additional proceeds support Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a national 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1984 that now serves more than 87,000 survivors nationwide.
Supporting Survivors After the Headlines Fade
C.O.P.S. provides peer support, counseling, scholarships, survivor weekends, youth camps, trial and parole support, and training for law enforcement agencies on how to respond after the loss of an officer.
“The agency response matters,” the retired officer said. “It shapes how families survive the aftermath.”
C.O.P.S. chapters operate in all 50 states, with national survivor programs administered from Camdenton, Missouri. Funding comes from donations, grants, and continued public awareness—often driven by News, Podcast, and Social Media exposure. Available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and most major Podcast networks.
Why These Stories Still Matter
Today, these conversations live on across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other Media platforms, not as nostalgia, but as testimony.
“The murder of police officers doesn’t end with the trial,” the retired officer said. “It follows careers, families, and cities for generations.” The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode.
By revisiting the murder of Officer Vincent J. Adolfo, the realities of policing Baltimore, and the bonds formed through shared trauma, this story serves as both remembrance and warning. It honors the fallen, supports the living, and reminds the public that behind every statistic is a name, a badge, and a life that mattered.
Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PodcastZone1"> The Podcast Zone Facebook Page </a> , look for the one with the bright green logo.
Be sure to check out <a href="https://www.letradio.com/?utm_source=OmnystudioShowNotes"> our website </a> .
Be sure to follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/LETRadioShowPo1">X </a> , <a href="https://www.instagram.com/letradioshowpodcast/"> Instagram </a> , <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LawEnforcementTalkRadioShow/"> Facebook, </a> Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news.
Background song Hurricane is used with permission from the band <a href="http://darkhorseflyer.com/"> Dark Horse Flyer. </a>
You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at <a href="mailto:Jay@letradio.com"> Jay@letradio.com </a> , or learn more about him <a href="https://www.letradio.com/p/about-john-j-jay-wiley/"> on their website </a> .
The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode.
Attributions
Amazon
<a href="http://www.signal13foundation.org">Signal 13 Foundation</a>
<a href="https://www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org/">Concerns of Police Survivors C.O.P.S.</a>
<a href="https://www.odmp.org/officer/1068-police-officer-vincent-j-adolfo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Officer Down Memorial Page</a>
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