Roll of Honor
Incident
Auxiliary Police Officer Ty Massey drowned after being carried away in a swollen river after responding to a call of a vehicle that had been swept off the I-80 bridge over the Rock River. After he and his partner arrived on the scene, Auxiliary Officer Massey jumped over a guard rail, thinking he was at ground level. However, he fell approximately 30 feet and struck a concrete embankment before being swept away into the river. His body was recovered four days later, on May 15th, 1993, approximately one mile downstream. It was later determined that the initial report of a vehicle in the river was a false report. Auxiliary Officer Massey had served with the Colona Police Department for seven months.
Survivors
He was survived by his unborn child, parents, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-6CD0E637- 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.
Auxiliary Police Officer Massey served with the Colona Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Colona community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Auxiliary Police Officer Massey.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Auxiliary Police Officer Ty Edward Massey 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Colona Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ty Edward Massey's cause is highlighted.
How Ty Edward Massey Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ty Edward Massey is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Colona Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
