Timothy M. Shepard

Pittsfield Police Department — Pittsfield, MA

Accident

End of Watch November 2, 1988

Age 25

Tour of Duty 5 mo

The Vigil Panel 133 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 3

Incident

Officer Timothy Shepard died when he was overcome by heat stroke and dehydration while training during his first day at the former Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy, at 702 South Westfield Street, in Agawam. Cadets in the class reported they were pushed to the limits of their endurance with hours of running, push-ups and other exercises that day on just a few small cups of water. Fifteen other cadets of the class of fifty were hospitalized for exhaustion and dehydration. Officer Shepard had undergone a liver transplant, lapsed into a coma, and later died from complications.

Survivors

Officer Shepard was survived by his expectant wife, mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters at the time of his passing.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MA-926FCF6A
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.
Officer Shepard served with the Pittsfield Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Pittsfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Shepard.

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

Agency

Department Pittsfield Police Department

Location Pittsfield, MA

Platform Identity ppd.berkshire.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 2, 1988

Tour of Duty 5 mo

Age 25

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Officer Timothy M. Shepard 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 Pittsfield Police Department, 2 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Pittsfield Police Department

of 4 officers

50% Accident

MA — Statewide

158

of 469 officers

33.7% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident