Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/John Ferdinand Bockman


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   delete.  MBisanz  talk 21:57, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

John Ferdinand Bockman

 * ( [ delete] ) – (View AfD) (View log)

Genealogy-style entry about a small-city police officer killed in the line of duty in 1924. Sources appear reliable, but the only two with significant coverage are (1) a site that appears to try to list every single US police officer killed in the line of duty, and (2) a local newspaper article published just after the event. Yes, he's listed on various memorials, but merely including his name at a major memorial isn't enough: the state memorial includes 113 other names, according to one of the external links, while the national memorial's website states that includes over 17,500 names. Notice that the creator was User:John Bockman; perhaps a descendent? Moreover, because the man is only known for one event, I don't think that this is radically different from the various victims of the Virginia Tech massacre: while BLP doesn't apply to any of them, their significance for only a single event equals nonnotability. Nyttend (talk) 13:27, 2 April 2009 (UTC) 
 * Neutral - If the subject is only notable for one event, then an encyclopedia article is probably not warranted. On the other hand he was Chief of Police and is the only officer killed in the line of duty in the town, which seems to confer some degree of notability. — LinguistAtLarge • Talk  15:59, 2 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Shall we create articles on every chief of police killed in a small community? It's a city of little more than 2,500 people; and there's no reliable sourcing concentrated on him, save the original article.  Nyttend (talk) 16:46, 2 April 2009 (UTC)
 * That's a question I do not know the answer to, that's why I left my recommendation at "neutral". I know that's kind of a cop-out, but I could be convinced either way on this one. If I were forced to make a decision, I'd have to say "weak delete" at this time. — LinguistAtLarge • Talk  18:05, 2 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Comment A true test of notability does not expire; would this policeman be entitled to his own article if he had been shot and killed in 2004 rather than 1924? I don't believe so.  I don't know of any policy of inherent notability for officers killed in the line of duty, although they are (rightfully) remembered in memorials to fallen officers.  Mandsford (talk) 18:23, 2 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so consensus may be reached. Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, –  Juliancolton  | Talk 00:10, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Delete as a memorial; if the event itself was notable it could have a page (I don't think it is), but this page would still be a BLP1E case. JJL (talk) 00:15, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Weak delete – the article, as constructed as-is, seems to be nothing more than a memorial, which is not what we're here for. It could be rewritten as an event, provided other sources come in and support the events leading to the murder. MuZemike 01:49, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.