Roll of Honor

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Sergeant

Frank Gaughan

Needham Police Department — Needham, MA

Cardiac Veteran

End of Watch November 28, 1931

Age 41

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

The Vigil Panel 63 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 2

Incident

Sergeant Gaughan suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after assisting at the scene of a large house fire on Charles River Street. He had returned to the police station at the Needham Town Hall when he suddenly began to feel ill and collapsed. Sergeant Gaughan was a WWI veteran and had served with the agency for three years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MA-1B8B4132
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.
Sergeant Gaughan gave the Needham Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Needham community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Needham Police Department

Location Needham, MA

Platform Identity npd.norfolk.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 28, 1931

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 41

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Military Service

Frank Gaughan served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Sergeant Frank Gaughan 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 MA, 44 of 469 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 9.4% of this state's fallen. That is 5.4 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.

At Needham 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.

Needham Police Department

of 3 officers

33.3% Cardiac

MA — Statewide

of 469 officers

9.4% Cardiac

Nationwide

1,306

of 32,508 officers

4% Cardiac

National Cause Distribution

How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank Gaughan'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 Frank Gaughan Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Cardiac: 48.6 years

Years of Service

This officer

Avg for Cardiac: 15.6 years

When Cardiac Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Frank Gaughan is highlighted in Nov.

Jan

124

Feb

105

Mar

Apr

116

May

115

Jun

Jul

Aug

104

Sep

109

Oct

121

Nov

113

Dec

111

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

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