William Francis Frawley
Agency patch
Constable

William Francis Frawley

Westport Police Department — Westport, CT
Felonious
End of Watch May 21, 1936
Age 35
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 71 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable William Frawley succumbed to injuries sustained on April 11, 1936, during a struggle with a man he was attempting to arrest.

He and another officer had responded to a disturbance call at a local tavern and had placed a man under arrest. As they struggled with the man to get him into the patrol car Constable Frawley burst a blood vessel in his stomach. He died as a result of the injury on May 21, 1936.

Constable Frawley had served with the Westport Police Department for six years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CT-BAC1E745
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.
Constable Frawley gave the Westport Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Westport community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Frawley.

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

Agency

Location Westport, CT
Platform Identity wpd.western.ct.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 21, 1936
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Assault
Weapon Person

Constable William Francis Frawley 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 CT, 74 of 169 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 43.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.4 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Westport Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Westport Police Department
1
of 3 officers
33.3% Felonious
CT — Statewide
74
of 169 officers
43.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Francis Frawley's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How William Francis Frawley Compares

Age at End of Watch
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Francis Frawley is highlighted in May.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Francis Frawley was killed by person.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Westport Police Department are honored on badge.nw.