Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Perley Sprague suffered a fatal heart attack while performing a 1.5-mile run with a new officer during his physical fitness test.
As the officer began the final lap of the required run, Chief Sprague joined him. Chief Sprague collapsed as he neared the finish line. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Chief Sprague was a U.S. Coast Guard veteran of the Vietnam War. He was appointed as chief of the Rockport Police Department after retiring from the Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Marine Patrol.
Chief Sprague, it has been 28 years since you were taken from us. New England law enforcement continues to serve and protect and make life secure for our part of the country. I honor your military and 22 years of law enforcement service to the citizens of Rockport.
Chief (Ret) Steven Marshall Georges Mills, NH November 17th, 2024
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-ME-34B5F5E1- 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.
Chief of Police Sprague gave the Rockport Police Department 22 years.
Thank you for your service to the Rockport community, and 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
Perley Morrison Sprague served in the Coast Guard (1965â1969) before joining law enforcement.
Chief of Police Perley Morrison Sprague 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 ME, 16 of 102 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 15.7% of this state's fallen. That is 11.7 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Perley Morrison Sprague's cause is highlighted.
How Perley Morrison Sprague Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Perley Morrison Sprague is highlighted in Nov.