Patrolman Richard H. Conklin and Patrolman William J. Cady of the South Plainfield Police Department both served after completing military duty and later died in the line of duty. Conklin joined the department on November 13, 1967, and on January 21, 1972, while assisting the Rescue Squad in transporting a mentally ill patient, he was riding in the rear of the vehicle when the patient broke free of the restraints, took Conklin’s firearm from his holster, and shot him twice, killing him within moments; he was survived by his parents, Henry and Mary, and his sisters Mary and Ethel. Cady joined the department on February 24, 1969, received a commendation in 1971 for single-handedly subduing two burglary suspects who had violently resisted arrest, and was later struck and killed by a passing vehicle while conducting a routine traffic stop on an entrance ramp to Interstate Highway 287; the driver was under the influence of narcotics at the time, and Cady was survived by his wife Jane, daughter Stephanie, and son Rhett.