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James Cavanaugh
Agency patch
Officer

James Cavanaugh

Fairfield Police Department — Fairfield, CT
Accident
United States flag Connecticut flag
End of Watch April 11, 1966
Age 68
The Vigil Panel 101 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Officer James Cavanaugh was struck and killed by a dump truck while directing traffic on Westport- Easton Road south of Sturges Highway in Fairfield at 9:30 am. The dump truck was backing up when it hit Officer Cavanaugh. He was transported to Norwalk Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries upon arrival. He was survived by his wife, one son, five daughters, and 12 grandchildren. His son also served with the Fairfield Police Department.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, one son, five daughters, and 12 grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CT-5C6317C6
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Cavanaugh served with the Fairfield Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Fairfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Cavanaugh.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Fairfield Police Department
Type Police Department
Location Fairfield, CT
Platform Identity fpd.bridgeport.ct.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 11, 1966
Age 68
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Officer James Cavanaugh is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In CT, 73 of 169 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 43.2% of this state's fallen. That is 43.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Fairfield Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
CT — Statewide
73
of 169 officers
43.2% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Cavanaugh's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How James Cavanaugh Compares

Age at Death
68
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Cavanaugh is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Fairfield Police Department are honored on badge.nw.