Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective John Harms was killed when his vehicle was struck by a train while he was en route to conduct an investigation.
Around 3:45 p.m., Detective Harms was traveling on Hamilton Street when a train hit him. An investigation revealed that the crossing gates did not always function properly, and the attendant was not present to ensure they were lowered.
Detective Harms had served with the Racine Police Department for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-9AB753E3- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Harms gave the Racine Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Racine community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Harms.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective John Harms 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 WI, 124 of 317 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Racine Police Department, 6 of 13 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Harms's cause is highlighted.
How John Harms Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Harms is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Racine Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
