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Michael J. Califano
Agency patch
Police Officer

Michael J. Califano

Nassau County Police Department — Mineola, NY
Accident
United States flag New York flag
End of Watch February 5, 2011
Age 44
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
The Vigil Panel 160 ›
Gender Male
Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 50

Incident

Police Officer Michael Califano was killed when his patrol car was struck by a truck as he conducted a vehicle stop.

Officer Califano pulled over a box truck on the Long Island Expressway near exit 39 for insufficient lighting. As Officer Califano was sitting in his patrol car writing a summons, it was struck by a flatbed tow truck. The force of the impact pushed the patrol car under the box truck and knocked the box truck into traffic. The flatbed truck ended up on top of the police car. It took rescuers thirty minutes to cut through the roof of the patrol car and remove the officer.

Officer Califano was taken to the Nassau University Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

The driver of the flatbed truck was arrested and charged with one count of criminally negligent homicide, three counts of assault, and failure to move over for an emergency vehicle. In February 2013 the subject pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Officer Califano had served with the Nassau County Police Department for 12 years and was assigned to the Highway Patrol. Before that, he worked for the Nassau Corrections Division for 10 years.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

22 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Califano gave the Nassau County Police Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Mineola community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Califano.

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

Agency

Department Nassau County Police Department
Type Police Department
Location Mineola, Nassau County, NY
Platform Identity ncpd.nassau.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 5, 2011
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Age 44
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Automobile crash

The Sacrifice · Accident

Michael is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  3. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 2011, 64 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 66th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Michael was 44. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Michael had served 22 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

February holds 7.2% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Saturdays: 14.9%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Nassau County Police Department has 51 officers remembered here, Michael among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Michael J. Califano

Nassau County Police Department · End of Watch February 5, 2011

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 43-W

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