William F. Hillen

New York Central Railroad Police Department — New York, NY

Accident Veteran

End of Watch February 24, 1922

Age 25

The Vigil Panel 42 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 13

Incident

Location: New York Incident Date: Monday, February 20, 1922

Detective William Hillen succumbed to head injuries sustained on February 20th, 1922, when he fell from a freight train the railyards at Niagara Falls, New York.

He suffered a fractured skull as a result of the fall. He was taken to the Homeopathic Hospital, in Buffalo, where he died on February 24th, 1922.

Detective Hillen was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI.

Det. Hillen, On today, the 100th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice-not just as a Law Enforcement Officer but for our Country as well when you served with the U.S. Army as a member of the 304th Tank Brigade which the 345th Tank Battalion was a part of fighting the Germans in Europe during World War I.

R.I.P. USBP

Anonymous United States Border Patrol February 24th, 2022

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-RR-5F4905DB
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.
Detective Hillen served with the New York Central Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the New York 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

Department New York Central Railroad Police Department

Location New York, NY

Platform Identity nycrpd.rr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 24, 1922

Age 25

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William F. Hillen served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Detective William F. Hillen 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 NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At New York Central Railroad Police Department, 6 of 14 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

New York Central Railroad Police Department

of 14 officers

42.9% Accident

NY — Statewide

645

of 2,147 officers

30% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident