John J. Driscoll
Agency patch
Officer

John J. Driscoll

San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco, CA
Felonious
End of Watch June 28, 1927
Age 26
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 53 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Driscoll was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest two robbery suspects. Officer Driscoll was on the corner of Howard Street and Harriet Street conversing with an off-duty officer when he observed a robbery in progress on the next corner. Officer Driscoll chased the suspects to an ally between Seventh Street and Eight Street where he was shot and killed by the suspects. The off-duty Officer rushed to the shots and arrested one suspect. The second suspect was arrested later in the day. Both suspects were charged with murder and robbery. One of the suspects was sentenced to death and hung at San Quentin State Prison on August 17, 1928.

Survivors

Officer Driscoll had served with the the San Francisco Police Department for four years and was survived by his wife and two sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-01626F77
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 Driscoll gave the San Francisco Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Driscoll.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location San Francisco, CA
Platform Identity sfpd.sf.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 28, 1927
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer John J. Driscoll is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At San Francisco Police Department, 66 of 106 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.3% of this agency's fallen.

San Francisco Police Department
66
of 106 officers
62.3% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John J. Driscoll's cause is highlighted.

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

How John J. Driscoll Compares

Age at Death
26
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John J. Driscoll is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John J. Driscoll was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909