Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Joseph Martin suffered a heart attack and died after a foot pursuit of two suspects.
After the foot chase Officer Martin returned to his vehicle and complained of chest pains. He finished his shift and as soon as he got home he asked his wife to take him to the hospital, where he remained for six days until his death.
Survivors
He had been employed with the Melrose Police Department for ten years and is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-4166C4E8- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Joseph. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrol Officer Martin gave the Melrose Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Melrose community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrol Officer Martin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrol Officer Joseph Paul Martin 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Paul Martin's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Paul Martin Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Paul Martin is highlighted in Jun.