Friday's Blood Drive at Piedmont Club Honors Slain Officer

Local residents will have the chance to give blood Friday afternoon and evening while honoring the memory of a fallen Darien Police officer.

The second annual Kenneth Edward Bateman, Jr. Memorial Blood Drive runs from 1:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. today at the Piedmont Club (152 Hecker Avenue). Bateman had served at the Darien Police Department for over seven years when he was killed in the line of duty in 1981.

Patrolman Bateman was born in Stamford in 1947. He attended local schools before joining the U.S. Navy, where he served on the U.S.S. Enterprise. After being honorably discharged as a yeoman third class in 1970, he joined the Darien force in 1973.

Around 3:30 a.m. on May 31, 1981, Bateman—patrolling alone at the time—responded to a silent alarm triggered at the Duchess Restaurant (360 Post Road). There, he was shot and killed by a surprised burglar exiting through a side door. 

Despite an exhaustive investigation and large rewards offered for information, no charges have ever been brought, making it the only unresolved killing of an officer in Connecticut in over 50 years. One man with a lengthy criminal history, Anthony Sabato, was revealed to be a suspect in 2004, but the evidence linking him to the incident was insufficient for a case.

Bateman's story remains far from forgotten. A bronze plaque at the Darien Police Department bears his likeness, scholarships are awarded annually in his name, and a flower garden is planted in his memory every Memorial Day outside the department. Bateman left behind a wife, Barbara, as well.

As to the blood drive, the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross announced that O negative donors are in particularly high demand. Supplies are low, and O negative can be transfused to patients of any blood type—an especially valuable trait in emergency situations.

Those wishing to make an appointment for Friday's drive or any other day should contact the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit http://www.redcrossblood.org.