Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Thomas Collins was killed in an automobile crash when the patrol car he was riding in was struck by another car at the intersection of 12th Street and Lafayette Street. He was thrown from the car and struck a light pole. Sergeant Collins had served with the Detroit Police Department for 18 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-0CFC16B1- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Collins gave the Detroit Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Collins.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Thomas J. Collins is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas J. Collins's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas J. Collins Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas J. Collins is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
