Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Cabral was killed when his patrol vehicle was struck head-on by a vehicle being operated by an intoxicated driver.
He was on patrol in his police SUV when the collision occurred in the westbound lanes of Route 6 at approximately 0045 hours. Lieutenant Cabral died as a result of his injuries.
The driver of the other car was arrested and charged with drunken driving resulting in motor vehicle homicide, operating negligently, and failure to stay in marked lanes. On June 4th, 2007, he plead guilty to manslaughter under the influence of alcohol and on June 26th, 2007, he was sentenced to serve five to seven years.
Lieutenant Cabral, who was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, had served with the Swansea Police Department for 26 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his two children, brother, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-BA02881F- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
26 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Cabral gave the Swansea Police Department 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Swansea community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Cabral.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Robert Manuel Cabral is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MA, 199 of 469 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.4% of this state's fallen. That is 11.8 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Swansea Police Dept., 1 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Manuel Cabral's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Manuel Cabral Compares
Offender Outcome
Plead guilty and sentenced to 5-7 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Manuel Cabral is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert Manuel Cabral was killed by automobile; alcohol involved.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Swansea Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
