Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro
Agency patch
Lieutenant

Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro

Boston Police Department — Roxbury Crossing, MA
Felonious
End of Watch November 17, 1931
Age 57
Tour of Duty 27 yrs
Gender Male

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

Type Police Department
Location Roxbury Crossing, Suffolk County, MA
Platform Identity bpd.suffolk.ma.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 17, 1931
Tour of Duty 27 yrs
Age 57
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Automobile

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Joseph is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

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.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

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.

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

When

November holds 8.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

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.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Boston Police Department has 106 officers remembered here, Joseph among them.

Across the years

Lieutenant Joseph L. A. Cavagnaro

Boston Police Department · End of Watch November 17, 1931

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 27-W

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