Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrol Officer John Palmatier was struck and killed by a vehicle while directing traffic at the intersection of West Main Street and Judd Street following a fireworks display. He was transported to Waterbury Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries one hour later.
Survivors
Officer Palmatier had been with the agency for 23 years and was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CT-351BF118- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew John. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
23 years. You could have gone home.
Patrol Officer Palmatier gave the Waterbury Police Department 23 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Waterbury community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrol Officer Palmatier.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrol Officer John E. Palmatier 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 CT, 73 of 169 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 43.2% of this state's fallen. That is 12.2 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Watertown Police Department, 3 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John E. Palmatier's cause is highlighted.
How John E. Palmatier Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John E. Palmatier is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Watertown Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
