Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Harold Collins contracted poliomyelitis while administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation of a seven-year-old drowning victim on November 7th, 1955.
He responded to a call of the child being found face down and unresponsive in Lee Pool, in modern-day Lederman Park in Boston. He immediately began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and was able to revive the child.
During her hospital stay, the girl was determined to be a carrier of all three strains of the poliovirus. Sergeant Collins contracted the virus and suffered the effects of the disease over the years, and retired from active duty in 1979. Sergeant Collins was struck with the post-polio syndrome in 2004 and died of its effects on May 31st, 2012.
Sergeant Collins was a U.S. Navy WWII veteran and served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 29 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three children, sister, and four grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-87FF20A2- 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 Collins gave the Metropolitan Police Department 29 years.
Thank you for your service to the Boston 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
Harold J. Collins served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Harold J. Collins is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MA, 59 of 469 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At Metropolitan Police Department, 1 of 12 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Harold J. Collins's cause is highlighted.
How Harold J. Collins Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Harold J. Collins is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
