Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Romano was shot and killed as he and his partner responded to a location where a man had just shot his neighbor. The man opened fire on the officers as they exited their patrol car, killing Officer Romano. The suspect then went into his home and committed suicide. Officer Romano was single and had served with the agency for 8 years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-9CCD9393- 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.
Traffic Officer Romano gave the Houghton Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houghton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Traffic Officer Romano.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Traffic Officer William Romano 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 MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Romano's cause is highlighted.
How William Romano Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed suicide
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Romano is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William Romano was killed by rifle; .30-.30.