BPD Remembers: In the early morning hours of September 4, 1929, at about 2:00 am, Officer John Jackson was struck and killed by a drunk driver moments after he stepped off of a streetcar while walking his beat in West Roxbury. The driver who struck Jackson never stopped to render aid and fled the scene of the accident. Moments later, a passing motorist, seeing the injured officer, stopped and transported Officer Jackson to an area hospital (Forest Hills Hospital), where he, sadly, later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. The driver who struck him later turned himself in and was charged with Manslaughter and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. Although, the charges were later dropped.
Officer Jackson was a recipient of the Victory Medal for his military service in France during WWI and was appointed to the Boston Police Department on November 19, 1928, and assigned to Division 17 in West Roxbury. At the time of his death, Jackson was 36 years old and had served the Boston Police Department for 11 months. Making his passing even more tragic is the fact that he was survived by his wife, and their two young children.
Officer Jackson was laid to rest at the Norden Cemetery in Uxbridge, MA. His name is located at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C. on Panel 60, West Line 5. His name is also forever engraved on the Hero Wall at Boston Police Headquarters and the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial at the State House in Boston.