Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman James Graff suffered a fatal heart attack following a foot pursuit of a subject he observed breaking into a car near the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Wood Street.
He chased the subject several blocks but was unable to capture him, so he returned to the Central Station to complete paperwork. He started to experience chest pains and was sent home. His condition worsened and he was taken Providence Hospital, where he remained for three days before passing away.
Patrolman Graff was a United States Army Air Force veteran of WWII and had served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for 16 years. He was survived by his wife and two sons. He was assigned to the Central Police Station, present day Zone 2.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-BA235A55- 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 Graff gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 16 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
James Edward Graff served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman James Edward Graff is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In PA, 118 of 1,261 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 9.4% of this state's fallen. That is 5.4 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 5 of 101 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Edward Graff's cause is highlighted.
How James Edward Graff Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. James Edward Graff 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.
