Frank P. Franano

Kansas City Police Department — Kansas City, MO

Accident

End of Watch September 15, 1935

Age 40

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

The Vigil Panel 154 · Column 1 · Line 12 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 119

Incident

Patrolman Franano was stuck by a train after stopping a car for driving with no headlights. Patrolman Franano and his partner were on patrol, traveling on Fifteenth Street when they noticed a car containing two youths go by. The lights of the car were dim, so Patrolman Franano turned the patrol car around and followed them. The youths - realized that the radio was decreasing the power of the headlights, so they turned it off. The officers continued to follow them, so the driver stopped the car at the edge of the train tracks on Fifteenth Street, near Carrington Avenue. Patrolman Franano drew up along side them, got out, and walked over to talk to the driver. He had just admonished him about driving with no headlights, when someone shouted that the train was coming. Patrolman Franano called for everyone to back off the tracks. A Missouri Pacific train reached them before either could get out of the way. The patrol car was hit first. It was slammed into the other car and Officer Franano - still between them - was crushed. The cars were picked up by the engine and carried. The car that had been stopped went 26 feet before catching on a switch standard and falling free of the engine. The patrol car was carried 168 feet, and was still stuck to the engine when the train stopped. Everyone involved were injured and Patrolman Franano was killed.

Survivors

Patrolman Franano had been with the agency for four years and was survived by his wife and three sons.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Franano gave the Kansas City Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Franano.

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

Agency

Department Kansas City Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Kansas City, Cass County, MO

Platform Identity kcpd.jackson.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 15, 1935

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Age 40

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Frank is one of 8,276 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

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

Compare against

Time

In 1935, 99 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 8th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Frank was 40. 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. Frank had served 4 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.