Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Robert Hand was killed in an automobile crash during a pursuit. He had attempted to stop the vehicle and lost track of it. Approximately ten minutes later the vehicle pulled out in front of him and he began to pursue it again. During the chase, Patrolman Hand's vehicle went out of control and crashed through the window of a glass store. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The suspect he was chasing was apprehended at a roadblock but was later found not guilty. Patrolman Hand had served with the Cranford Police Department for 19 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his two sons and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-A33BE9C5- 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.
Patrolman Hand gave the Cranford Police Department 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cranford community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Hand.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Robert F. Hand 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 NJ, 258 of 646 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.9% of this state's fallen. That is 8.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert F. Hand's cause is highlighted.
How Robert F. Hand Compares
Offender Outcome
Acquitted
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert F. Hand is highlighted in Feb.