Dartmouth Cop to Be Honored 57 Years After Line of Duty Death

There are few alive today who remember Dartmouth's Charlie Christie. Chances are you have heard ,or at least have seen, his name before.

Officer Charles Alexander Christie, a patrolman with the Dartmouth Police Department, died in the line of duty while directing traffic during the construction of Interstate 195 at Reed Road on August 18, 1966.

Christie was crushed by a large construction vehicle. He was 75 years old.

The following year, the Reed Road overpass was dedicated in Officer Christie's memory and still bears his name.

Christie was born in New Bedford in 1891. When he was five, his family moved to Dartmouth, where he lived for the next 70 years.

Christie served in the U.S. Army in World War I and received a Purple Heart.

He was a member of the American Legion, Post 307, Dartmouth, the Forty and Eight (The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses), an independent, invitation-only honor society of American veterans and service members, and a member of the Joseph F. Waldron Barracks 1966, Veterans of World War I.

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According to a 1966 New Bedford Standard-Times article, Christie was also a member of the Fairhaven Varsity Club, Dartmouth Police Association and Holy Cross Laity, North Dartmouth.

Christie was also a corrections officer at the Bristol County House of Corrections and a Dartmouth Town Meeting member.

Christie has been "approved for inclusion to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C."

According to Chief Executive Officer Marcia Ferranto, "The name will be formally dedicated on May 13, 2023, at the 35th Annual Candlelight Vigil during National Police Week."

Christie never married or had children, but his nephew, Steve Whiteacre, who lives in New Hampshire, expressed his excitement.

"His family and I are very excited that Uncle Charlie has finally been fully recognized for his public service for which he gave his life," Whiteacre said.