Thomas Truesdale

Pawtucket Police Dept. — Pawtucket, RI

Felonious

End of Watch June 30, 1958

Age 58

Tour of Duty 37 yrs

The Vigil Panel 93 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 6

Incident

Detective Lieutenant Thomas Truesdale and Patrolman Emil Newberg were both shot and killed as they tried to disarm a suicidal man who had barricaded himself in a bathroom with a pistol. The suspect, 35, had walked away from a V A veterans mental institution in Brockton, Mass. on October 21, 1957. He was committed in Providence mental hospital where he died in 1983. Detective Lieutenant Truesdale had served with the Pawtuckett Police Department for 37 years and was killed on his 58th birthday.

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-RI-EFD2BB81
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

37 years. You could have gone home.
Detective Lieutenant Truesdale gave the Pawtucket Police Department 37 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Pawtucket community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Lieutenant Truesdale.

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

Agency

Department Pawtucket Police Dept.

Location Pawtucket, RI

Platform Identity pawtpd.providence.ri.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 30, 1958

Tour of Duty 37 yrs

Age 58

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun; .38 caliber

Offender Committed

Detective Lieutenant Thomas Truesdale is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In RI, 25 of 55 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 45.5% of this state's fallen. That is 8.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Pawtucket Police Dept., 4 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.1% of this agency's fallen.

Pawtucket Police Dept.

of 7 officers

57.1% Felonious

RI — Statewide

of 55 officers

45.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious