Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Roy Freiss was killed while directing traffic at the south end of the Smithfield Street Bridge when a drunk driver struck him and dragged him for over 100 feet. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the South Side Hospital. Patrolman Freiss was a United States Army World War I veteran and had served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for over eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-299973D2- 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.
Patrolman Freiss gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 8 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Roy William Freiss served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Roy William Freiss 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 38 of 101 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Roy William Freiss's cause is highlighted.
How Roy William Freiss Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Roy William Freiss is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
100 officers from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
