Frank M. Stearn

Johnstown Police Department — Johnstown, PA

Illness

End of Watch May 13, 1916

Age 69

Tour of Duty 30 yrs

The Vigil Panel 31 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 8

Incident

Lieutenant Frank Stearn died as a result of a stroke he suffered five weeks earlier while chasing several suspects. He was walking his beat in the Old Conemaugh Boro section of the city when he noticed a group of boys at the Adams Street School. The boys began to run and Lieutenant Stearn chased them over a wall. As he jumped over the wall he suffered the stroke. He remained unconscious until his death five weeks later.

Survivors

Lieutenant Stearn had served with the Johnstown Police Department for 30 years and was survived by his wife and seven children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-PA-E919D2C9
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

30 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Stearn gave the Johnstown Police Department 30 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Johnstown community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Stearn.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Johnstown Police Department

Location Johnstown, PA

Platform Identity jpd.cambria.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 13, 1916

Tour of Duty 30 yrs

Age 69

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Weapon Not available

Offender Not available

Lieutenant Frank M. Stearn is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In PA, 121 of 1,261 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.6% of this state's fallen. That is 0.5 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.

At Johnstown Police Department, 1 of 9 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 11.1% of this agency's fallen.

Johnstown Police Department

of 9 officers

11.1% Illness

PA — Statewide

121

of 1,261 officers

9.6% Illness

Nationwide

2,974

of 32,508 officers

9.1% Illness