Bruce Hanley

Watertown Police Department — Watertown, CT

Illness

End of Watch December 13, 1997

Age 45

Tour of Duty 1 yrs

Badge 113

The Vigil Panel 144 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 10

Incident

Police Officer Bruce Hanley collapsed while chasing a suspect on September 19, 1982, after rupturing a lung wall. After collapsing, Officer Hanley lapsed into a coma which he stayed in for 15 years until his death on December 12, 1997. The Waterbury Police Department kept Officer Hanley as a member of the department while he was in the coma. Officer Hanley had served with the Waterbury Police Department for only 1 year at the time of the incident.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CT-1BCA21D5
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

You barely got started.
Police Officer Hanley gave the Waterbury Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Waterbury community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Hanley.

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

Agency

Department Watertown Police Department

Location Watertown, CT

Platform Identity watepd.naugatuck.ct.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 13, 1997

Tour of Duty 1 yrs

Age 45

Badge Number 113

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Police Officer Bruce Hanley is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In CT, 7 of 169 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.1% of this state's fallen. That is 5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

At Watertown Police Department, 1 of 11 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.1% of this agency's fallen.

Watertown Police Department

of 11 officers

9.1% Illness

CT — Statewide

of 169 officers

4.1% Illness

Nationwide

2,974

of 32,508 officers

9.1% Illness