Incident
Lieutenant Cavagnaro was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was forced off of the road in New York State during a murder investigation. He was riding with a local investigator from the district attorney's office when the incident happened. It is suspected that the drivers of the other car were gangsters with ties to the original murder in Boston. The investigator was seriously injured.
Survivors
Lieutenant Cavagnaro had been with the agency for 27 years and was survived by his wife and four daughters.
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
27 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Cavagnaro gave the Boston Police Department 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Cavagnaro.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Felonious
Boston Police Department has lost 106 officers; 45 of them killed feloniously.
Joseph is one of 199 officers killed feloniously in MA, 42.4% of the 469 remembered there.
Joseph is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.
Joseph is one of 17,622 officers killed feloniously worldwide, 51.7% of the 34,102 remembered here.
34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 1931, 1 officer at Boston Police Department was killed feloniously, the 7th heaviest of 39 years on record. The heaviest was 1908, with 2.
In 1931, 1 officer in MA was killed feloniously, the 51st heaviest of 107 years on record. The heaviest was 1908, with 6.
In 1931, 221 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 5th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.
In 1931, 222 officers worldwide were killed feloniously, the 9th heaviest of 265 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 516.
Who
Joseph was 57. Of the 45 killed feloniously at Boston Police Department whose age is recorded, half were between 35 and 49; the middle age was 41. Joseph had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 15 years.
Joseph was 57. Of the 195 killed feloniously in MA whose age is recorded, half were between 34 and 52.5; the middle age was 42. Joseph had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 11 years.
Joseph was 57. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Joseph had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Joseph was 57. Of the 15,853 killed feloniously worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 30 and 46; the middle age was 38. Joseph had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
November holds 13.3% of these deaths at Boston Police Department; October holds the most, 17.8%. Tuesdays: 13.3%.
November holds 9.5% of these deaths in MA; October holds the most, 10.6%. Tuesdays: 14.1%.
November holds 8.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.
November holds 8.2% of these deaths worldwide; December holds the most, 9.2%. Tuesdays: 13.3%.
How
Felonious deaths account for 42.5% of all 106 deaths at Boston Police Department, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was automobile, in 2.2% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 42.4% of all 469 deaths in MA, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was automobile, in 10.1% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was automobile, in 4.9% of these deaths.
Felonious deaths account for 51.7% of all 34,102 deaths worldwide, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was automobile, in 4.4% of these deaths.
His people
Boston Police Department has 106 officers remembered here, Joseph among them.
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Ezekiel Wentworth Hodsdon
Oct 18, 1857
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Seth A. Noyes Oct 18, 1870
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Danford D. Dunn Jul 6, 1886
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Daniel W. Sullivan Feb 11, 1893
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Cornelius F. Regan Jan 13, 1898
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Alonzo Burnham Feb 19, 1899
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Alfred Mitchell Sturdivant
Sep 4, 1904
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Walter E. Harris
Nov 19, 1906
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John T. Lynch
Jan 16, 1908
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John J. Fitzgerald Apr 6, 1908
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Frederick Schlehuber
Nov 10, 1910
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Richard J. Gallivan
Feb 8, 1911
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Thomas Edmond Young
Jan 10, 1912
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Albert R. Peterson
Oct 29, 1912
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Thomas J. Norton
Jun 19, 1914
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Patrick J. Carr
Aug 1, 1916
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John J. Earle
Oct 21, 1916
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Joseph C. Reiser
Jan 20, 1918
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Michael Brennan
Jul 7, 1918
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David Vincent Birmingham
Sep 13, 1918
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Leo Clarence Pollard Sep 19, 1918
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Peter Francis Neary Sep 21, 1918
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William F. Ahern Sep 22, 1918
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Harris Thomas Smith Sep 25, 1918
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Maurice Aloyisus Ritchie
Sep 25, 1918
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Joseph Francis Eberlein Oct 2, 1918
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Lawrence Joseph Nagle Oct 3, 1918
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John Joseph Delaney, Jr. Oct 4, 1918
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John Henry Patten
Oct 8, 1918
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Bernard Joseph Fallon Oct 11, 1918
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Edward M. Day Oct 17, 1918
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Frederick Joseph Gibney
Oct 30, 1918
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William James Irwin
Dec 13, 1918
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Timothy William Hurley Dec 28, 1918
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Thomas H. Lynch
Feb 2, 1919
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Charles E. Deininger
Feb 13, 1919
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Hugh J. Lee
May 3, 1919
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Adolph F. Butterman
Jun 16, 1919
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William G. Clancy
Jan 22, 1920
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Ward M. Bray
Apr 14, 1921
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Andrew B. Cuneo
Aug 13, 1921
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Daniel J. McShane
Jan 31, 1922
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Albert Harry Giles Jun 16, 1922
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Peter P. Oginskis
May 5, 1923
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Joseph E. Gonya
Oct 21, 1923
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Albert Motroni
Sep 22, 1924
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Benjamin Alexander
Jul 4, 1925
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Frank J. Comeau
Mar 24, 1926
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Harris Bruce McInnes
Jul 3, 1927
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John Condon
Oct 7, 1927
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Herbert D. Allen
Dec 25, 1927
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John Franklin Montague
May 24, 1929
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Edward Q. Butters
Aug 14, 1929
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John Ivar Jackson
Sep 4, 1929
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James J. Troy, Jr.
Jan 13, 1930
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Franklin B. Dreyer
Apr 24, 1930
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Frederick W. Bartlett
Dec 10, 1930
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Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro
Nov 17, 1931
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William L. Abbott
Nov 28, 1931
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John P. M. Wolfe
Dec 1, 1931
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George J. Hanley
Mar 20, 1934
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James T. Malloy
Jun 4, 1934
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John G. Ralph
Oct 7, 1934
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James Brickley
Nov 25, 1934
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Daniel A. McCallum
May 12, 1935
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James D. Hughes
Sep 10, 1935
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James B. Roche
Mar 21, 1936
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Laurence V. Sheridan
Jul 28, 1937
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Walter Baxter
Aug 4, 1937
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John H. Manning
Feb 6, 1938
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Paul J. Murnane
Sep 23, 1938
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Thomas A. Davis
Apr 13, 1939
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Patrick C. Gannon
Apr 2, 1940
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Felix Francis Sharkey
Jun 3, 1942
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John Lynch
Sep 19, 1944
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Frank B. Callahan
Feb 20, 1945
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Robert Andrew Maher
Apr 10, 1946
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William F. Healey
Oct 2, 1946
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John J. Mehegan
Jan 11, 1950
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Michael J. Crowley
May 12, 1961
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John J. Gallagher
May 25, 1962
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James B. O'Leary
Aug 2, 1963
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George J. Holmes
Nov 6, 1963
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Edward C. Lynch
Mar 6, 1964
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Charles A. McNabb
Nov 23, 1968
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Francis B. Johnson
Mar 17, 1969
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Walter A. Schroeder
Sep 24, 1970
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Samuel Reynolds
Oct 22, 1971
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Joseph M. Mullen
Dec 18, 1972
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John David Schroeder
Nov 30, 1973
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Donald A. Brown
May 24, 1974
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Francis E. Creamer
Oct 7, 1974
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Richard F. Halloran
Nov 6, 1975
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William R. Beckman
Sep 1, 1976
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Jose A. Maceira
May 1, 1977
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David Ray Brown
Aug 14, 1983
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Roy Joseph Sergei
Oct 26, 1987
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Thomas J. Gill
Feb 10, 1988
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Sherman C. Griffiths
Feb 18, 1988
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Louis Harry Metaxas
Aug 27, 1989
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Jeremiah J. Hurley, Jr.
Oct 28, 1991
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Thomas F. Rose
Feb 19, 1993
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John James Mulligan
Sep 26, 1993
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Berisford Wayne Anderson
Feb 5, 1994
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Dennis Oliver Simmonds
Apr 10, 2014
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Jose V. Fontanez
Apr 14, 2020
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 27-W
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