By Police1 Staff
DAVENPORT, Iowa — Police departments throughout the Quad-Cities on Wednesday were mourning the loss of a veteran police officer who died of a heart attack while on his regular four-mile run.
Davenport police Sgt. Kevin Marxen, known by his community as Rudy, collapsed on the Iowa-bound Centennial Bridge and died shortly after, according to the Quad-City Times.
“Rudy personified the four Cs,” Asst. Police Chief Don Schaeffer said of Marxen. “Those are courage, character, contribution and commitment.”
Marxen died on his day off, and had made a quick appearance into the second shift’s briefing to wish everyone a safe tour before he headed out for his run, according to the report.
“I knew him the whole 36 years he was here,” Schaeffer said. “He worked for me directly for over half his career. I had him in the detective bureau, in street crimes, buying dope for me during drug investigations. There’s nothing I haven’t had him doing.”
“Not once in all that time have I ever seen him in a bad mood. He meant a lot to everybody. I don’t think I can say enough about him as a father, a husband, a great co-worker, a police officer, and as a member of the community.”
Marxen comes from a family of police officers. His brother, Tom, retired as a captain from the Moline Police Department, and his brother, John, retired from the Scott County Sheriff’s Department.