John Cordes


John H. F. Cordes was a detective in the New York Police Department, once described by New York mayor Jimmy Walker as "the city's best cop". He is the only detective to have been awarded the department's New York City Police Department [Medal of Honor|Medal of Honor] twice.

Career

Awards

Cordes was first awarded the medal in 1923 after coming across a Manhattan cigar store robbery in progress. As a result of his involvement, Cordes suffered five gunshot wounds, three of which came from another policeman for unknown reasons.
His second Medal of Honor was awarded in 1927 for his work in solving the kidnapping of real estate tycoon Abraham Scharlin.

Retirement

Cordes retired in 1949. Part of his career is described in the book "NYPD: Stories of Survival from the World's Toughest Beat".