On August 10, 1869, Patrolman John A. Branagan, a member of the New York Police Department (NYPD), was working on a traffic detail at the Hamilton Ferry in New York City.

While assigned to his post, he was assisting a horse-drawn lumber truck as it attempted to back out of the ferry yard. Patrolman Branagan was struck by a load of falling lumber from the truck when the horses abruptly changed direction. Branagan was transported to his home where he succumbed to his injuries. Patrolman Branagan was a 12-year veteran of the NYPD and left behind a wife and four children. According to the Officer Down Mem-orial Page, his death was one of the first line-of-duty deaths attributed to a traffic assignment.

On November 15, 2019, Deputy Sheriff Stephen Reece, assigned to the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) in Tennessee, was traveling on Highway 41A South near Oak Plains Road at approximately 2:13 p.m. Deputy Reece’s patrol SUV entered the intersection and was involved in a crash with another vehicle. Deputy Reece died at the crash scene. He had served with Metro Nashville Police Department for 18 years before being hired by CCSO. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm and is survived by his wife and two children.

Two officers killed in the line of duty 150 years apart. What can we learn from the tragic deaths of Patrolman Branagan and Deputy Reece?