Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Sergeant Frank Lema was struck and killed by a government truck on-board the base at approximately 12:55 pm.
He was transported to a local hospital before being transferred to Rhode Island Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries approximately nine hours after being struck.
Sergeant Lema was a U.S. Air Force veteran. He had served with the Naval Station Newport Police Department for 21 years and had previously served with the Middletown Police Department for 26 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his five children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-FED-9AAC2EB6- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Detective Sergeant Lema gave the United States Department of Defense 47 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Frank Lema served in the Air Force (1962â1966) before joining law enforcement.
Detective Sergeant Frank Lema 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 RI, 23 of 55 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.8 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank Lema's cause is highlighted.
How Frank Lema Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frank Lema is highlighted in Sep.