Patrolman Robert F. Hand
On February 11th the Cranford Police Department remembers Patrolman Robert F. Hand and the sacrifice that he made 46 years ago. On February 11, 1975 Patrolman Robert F. Hand was killed in the line of duty during a motor vehicle pursuit.
The car that Patrolman Hand was chasing was driven by an eighteen year old Rahway resident. The chase began in Cranford and continued onto Westfield Avenue in Clark, where the officer lost control of his car and crashed into the storefront of a glass and mirror shop. The eighteen year old driver of the car that Patrolman Hand was chasing was arrested in Rahway several minutes after the crash. Patrolman Hand was taken to Rahway Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Patrolman Hand left behind a wife and four young children.
Patrolman Hand will always be remembered as a servant leader who had deep ties to our community. His was nicknamed ‘The Senator’ because he was known to stop and talk to all of the store owners, shoppers, and everyone else who he saw on his beat. His peers would joke that it would take him half of his shift to walk just one block because of his desire to help people and start conversations with everyone he saw.
Patrolman Hand was an Air Force veteran who served in the Korean Conflict and he received an honorable discharge in 1950. He was sworn in as a Cranford Patrolman in 1956 and received numerous commendations during his 19-year career. In 1968 he was issued a commendation for breaking up a large scale narcotics ring that resulted in the arrest of 10 drug dealers, and in 1969 he was commended for arresting a child sex offender.
Patrolman Hand was active in the Cranford Elks Lodge and VFW Post 335 and had been elected by his fellow officers to serve as president of the Cranford P.B.A.
For the week starting February 11, 2021 uniformed Cranford officers wear black mourning bands across their badges in remembrance of their fallen brother. In addition, all police cars display a memorial badge in his honor all year.
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