Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Powers succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when his police motorcycle was struck by an automobile at the intersection of Park Street and Salem Street, in Medford.
He was transported to Malden Hospital where he died early the next morning as the result of a skull fracture. The driver of the car that struck him was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
Patrolman Powers had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 15 years and was assigned to the Motorcycle Squad.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-8D68E34E- 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.
Patrolman Powers gave the Metropolitan Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Boston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Powers.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John W. Powers 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 MA, 158 of 469 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Metropolitan Police Department, 7 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 58.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John W. Powers's cause is highlighted.
How John W. Powers Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John W. Powers is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
