Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Norman Vezina drowned while attempting to rescue a 5-year-old child who had fallen through thin ice off Totem Pole Trail Lane in the Sprague Lower Reservoir. The child was pulled from the water but died en route to the hospital. Sergeant Vezina perished before being pulled from the water. Sergeant Vezina was a United States Marine Corps Korean War veteran and had served with the Smithfield Police Department for eight months. He was survived by his parents, wife, and child. He was posthumously promoted to Sergeant.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents, wife, and child.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RI-43B36D62- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Norman is one person.
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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.
Sergeant Vezina served with the Smithfield Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Smithfield community, and 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
Norman G. Vezina served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
Sergeant Norman G. Vezina is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In RI, 23 of 55 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.8% of this state's fallen. That is 41.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Norman G. Vezina's cause is highlighted.
How Norman G. Vezina Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Norman G. Vezina is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Military Service
Norman G. Vezina served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.
Visit Norman G. Vezina’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Smithfield Police Department are honored on badge.nw.