Robert Thomas Seiffert

 

 

• Cincinnati Police Officer
• War Hero
• Died in a Shootout with an Armed Robber

 

Bob was born March 5, 1948 in Philadelphia. During 1967, he enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to Rotary Wing Flight Training, after which he served as a combat helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. He had been given nearly no chance of surviving his tour, was shot down twice, and shot once. Chief Warrant Officer Seiffert was honorably discharged during January 1971 with a Purple Heart and Silver Star, the third highest United States military award.   

Bob joined the Cincinnati Police Division on February 28, 1971 as a Police Recruit. He was promoted to Patrolman on June 27, 1971, issued Badge 735, and assigned to District 4 (7017 Vine Street). Officer Seiffert was rotated to District 1 (310 Ezzard Charles Drive) on May 25, 1975. Seven months later, after a major police scandal, with his reputation for integrity, he was transferred to the Central Vice Control Bureau. He preferred Patrol however and transferred to District 5 (1012 Ludlow Avenue) a year later. On March 12, 1978, he transferred back to District 4. 

By March 1979, he had served his country and community 11 years and earned five letters of appreciation and/or commendation. In a personnel document his commander described him as “an outstanding officer in all respects, extremely knowledgeable, and looked upon by younger, less experienced officers for guidance.”

At home, his neighbors depicted him as a good father and husband who loved his children, was very religious and sports minded, and an award-winning racquet ball player. He had earned the silver medal in the previous year’s Ohio Police Olympics. He spent much of his time with the neighborhood children, and they seemed to always congregate in and around his yard. At St. Aloysius Gonzaga, he coached the sixth- and seventh-grade soccer team, was a religious education teacher, and was involved in their baptismal program.  

The Cincinnati Police Division traditionally deployed a Robbery Task Force during the Christmas Holidays and police commanders detailed their best officers to it. During 1978, Officer Seiffert was named to the Task Force and partnered with Officer Dennis Bennington. In December 1978, an extremely violent Gregory Daniels committed another in a series of street robberies and the case was assigned to Officers Bennington and Seiffert.

They solved the case as far as identifying the robber, but Daniels eluded capture for months. Officer Bennington was familiar with Daniels, but Officer Seiffert only knew him by his photo. So, when Officer Seiffert thought he saw him driving a car in the opposite direction three months later, he called Officer Bennington to assist in the felony stop on Oak Street near Reading Road. Officer Bennington pulled up across the street, got out of his car and stepped toward Daniels’ car. Officer Seiffert approached from the rear.

Daniels got out of his car with a .38 caliber revolver and shot Officer Bennington in the chest, knocking him down. He then shot Officer Seiffert in the head, killing him. Bennington, before he died, was able to return fire, killing Daniels.

If you want to know more of Officer Seiffert’s life, death, and survivors, please see his Line of Duty Death page.

 

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