Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Joseph Burke was killed in a motorcycle accident on Spring Street while en route to direct school traffic nearby. It is believed that his motorcycle tipped over as he attempted to come to a stop behind a truck that had just stopped.
He was taken to Troy Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries four hours later.
Officer Burke was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Troy Police Department for three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, mother, brother, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-44D1AFFD- 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.
Police Officer Burke gave the Troy Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Troy community. Thank you 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
Joseph A. Burke served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Joseph A. Burke 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 NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Troy Police Department, 2 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph A. Burke's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph A. Burke Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph A. Burke is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Troy Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
