Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Thaddeus Szczesny was killed when his patrol car was struck by a car that had run a red light at E. Vernor Highway and McDougall Street. He was responding to an emergency call at the time. It is believed the driver of the other vehicle was a minor driving drunk. Three other policemen in the cruiser were injured. Officer Szczesny had served with the Detroit Police Department, 7th Precinct, for 9 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-C28F8C62- 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.
Police Officer Szczesny gave the Detroit Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Szczesny.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Thaddeus W. Szczesny 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 MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thaddeus W. Szczesny's cause is highlighted.
How Thaddeus W. Szczesny Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thaddeus W. Szczesny is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
