pop up description layer
ODO!
Home Page View Tribute Wall Search & Read Fallen Hero Stories Member Section Contact Us Make A Donation Our Policies Valued Links
Feb. 10, 2025 11:20 AM
Visitors: 1
Home
Year - 2025
Hero Search
View Wall
Song Tribute
9/11 Fallen
COVID-19
Contact Us
Donate
Members
Register
Policy
Mail List
Patches
Links
Notables
Enter Hero's Last Name
American Police Hall of Fame

Murray/1921
Reitz/1922
Sweinsberger/1926
Robinson/1908
Gresham/1920
Fallen Heroes
Fallen Project
Click any option . . .
Detailed Search
States List
Stats
State Map Search
Most Recent
Notables
Add a Fallen Hero
9/11
COVID-19
New Hero Search Michael F. McNeil Jr.
- Nov. 29, 1971 -
(20237)

Pass your cursor over pic to see larger version! Click pic for full version!

Albany NY Police Dept. Patch
Resided: Albany (Albany County)
NY, USA
Born: Unk  
Fallen: Nov. 29, 1971
Race/Sex: Caucasian Male / 43 yrs. of age
Agency
Dept: Albany Police Dept. - NY
165 Henry Johnson Boulevard  
Albany, NY   12210   USA
(518)438-4000
County: Albany
Dept. Type: Municipal/Police
Hero's Rank: Sergeant
Sworn Date: 9/1957
FBI Class: Homicide - Gun
Weapon Class: Handgun
Agency URL: Click Here
Badge: 65
On The Job: 14 years
Duties: assigned to Division II

Bio: Not Available
Survived by:
Margaret Reaney McNeil - Wife
& three sons, Vincent M. (now employed by the Albany Parks Dept.), Kevin P. (now an Albany Fire Fighter), and Brenden (now a salesman); daughter, Noreen (now a Massachusetts lawyer); parents, Michael F. Sr. and Mary Boutelier McNeil; two brothers, Roderick D. (the police officer), and Joseph J.; and sister, the late Helen McNeil.

Fatal Incident Summary
Offender: Joseph W. Guerin / Male - 23 years old
of Bridgeport CT. Guerin was out on $50,000 bail awaiting sentencing for a Connecticut assault when he killed Sgt. McNeil. He was also wanted for a separate murder in that state as well.

  
Location:   Albany,   Albany County, NY   USA   Mon. Nov. 29, 1971
Summary: On Monday 11-29-1971 at 12:30 AM, while driving a Central Booking matron home after her shift, Sgt. McNeil stopped a car with four occupants for running a red light at Central Avenue and Robin Street. The vehicle matched a description of a sedan used in an armed robbery earlier in the night in the bordering town of Colonie.

After noticing a registration discrepancy, McNeil ordered the driver to follow him to Division I. At the police station, the driver gave a false name. McNeil then went outside to question the other passengers, who had remained sitting in the suspect vehicle, but they had fled on foot.

McNeil called for back-up and began driving the area looking for them. At 1:20 AM he found them walking on West Lawrence Street near Chestnut Street. McNeil ordered the male, Joseph W. Guerin, 23, of Bridgeport CT, into the back seat of the prowl car. As the officer entered the front driver's seat, Guerin, a member of the outlawed motorcycle gang The Breed, shot the officer twice, in the right temple and right cheek, with a .9-mm luger, killing him instantly.

Guerin then fled on foot to 41 North Main Street where he woke the residents and told them he was in a bad accident and asked one of them to drive him to the hospital. The 19-year old son complied and once away from the house, Guerin stole the vehicle from him at gun point.

He abandoned the car a short distance away, at Central Avenue and Colvin, and hailed a cab to Schenectady. Guerin was finally captured at 5:40 AM at 1138 State Street, Schenectady NY.

As detectives booked Guerin, others officers were attending the funeral services for Officer Edward Stevens who had been shot and killed 70 hours earlier by an emotionally disturbed person.

Disposition: Guerin was convicted of Sergeant McNeil's murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Guerin served his sentence in Eastern Correctional Facility, Ulster County NY. He was denied parole in 1996 and 1998, but was again eligible in 2000. He took a plea bargain for the 1971 Connecticut murder charge, a case in which Albany Detective T. Carroll was instrumental in collecting and assisting CT prosecutors, years after the crime occurred.

Guerin died in prison while serving the sentence.

================================================

In 1971 when McNeil was killed, his brother Roderick was also an Albany officer assigned to the Traffic Unit. Today, McNeil's nephew, William Murphy Jr., is an Albany PD Detective and is assigned to the Special Investigations Unit.

Source: Website      Click
Source: Website      Click
More from Albany Police Dept. - NY
Add A Tribute Last Updated: May. 29, 2019 Add to Favorites




Ryckman/1974

Driggers Sr./1967

Palacios/1976

Harper/1987

Henke/1971

Cali/1975

Lewis/1970

Ross/1982

Parker/1974
Compton Jr./1976
Tarkington/1978
Johnson/1997
Harris/1982
Williams/1974
Wood/1998
Beard/1977
Jones/1971
Haughton/1995
Home Page View Tribute Wall Search & Read Fallen Hero Stories Member Section Contact Us Make A Donation Our Policies Valued Links
Visitors Today - 0(0)
this entire site copyright© 1999 ----> 2025    Contact Us West Palm Beach, FL 33462
MemberID: 0(N)   Logged In: N   IP: 0