Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective John Piskator suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in physical fitness training with the agency's Special Response Team.
The team was jogging on Duck Avenue when Detective Piskator collapsed. Officers immediately began CPR until rescue units arrived and transported him to Lower Keys Medical Center. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
He had been promoted to the rank of detective the previous week.
Detective Piskator had served with the Key West Police Department for just under two years and had previously served with the United States Army for eight years as a Ranger with the 82nd Airborne Division during Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.
Survivors
He is survived by his son and three brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-D9D39CAA- 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 Piskator gave the Key West Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Key West community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John Michael Piskator served in the Army (1987â1995) before joining law enforcement.
Detective John Michael Piskator is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 62 of 1,008 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 6.2% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Key West Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Michael Piskator's cause is highlighted.
How John Michael Piskator Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. John Michael Piskator is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Key West Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
