Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro

Boston Police Department — Roxbury Crossing, MA

Felonious

End of Watch November 17, 1931

Age 57

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

The Vigil Panel 63 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 105

Incident

Lieutenant Cavagnaro was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was forced off of the road in New York State during a murder investigation. He was riding with a local investigator from the district attorney's office when the incident happened. It is suspected that the drivers of the other car were gangsters with ties to the original murder in Boston. The investigator was seriously injured.

Survivors

Lieutenant Cavagnaro had been with the agency for 27 years and was survived by his wife and four daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MA-D2329F68
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

27 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Cavagnaro gave the Boston Police Department 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Cavagnaro.

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

Agency

Department Boston Police Department

Location Roxbury Crossing, MA

Platform Identity bpd.suffolk.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 17, 1931

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

Age 57

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Automobile

Offender Not available

Lieutenant Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MA, 199 of 469 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.4% of this state's fallen. That is 11.8 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Boston Police Department, 45 of 106 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.5% of this agency's fallen.

Boston Police Department

of 106 officers

42.5% Felonious

MA — Statewide

199

of 469 officers

42.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious