Sergeant
Thomas Edward Sawyer
Hammond Police Department
Thursday, June 17, 2021

Age: 53
Served: 23 years, 5 months
Badge #: 448
Panel 35W, Line 33 (2022)
Panel L29, Line 14 (2021)

Incident Details

Cause of Death:
Duty-related illness
Date/Time of Incident:
Thursday, May 6, 2021

Incident to Death Duration:
43 days
Incident Location:
509 Douglas Street, Hammond
Incident County:
Lake
Incident Township:
North
Weapon Used:
None
Suspect Disposition:
None
Burial Place:
Memory Lane Memorial Park, Schererville
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   Sergeant Thomas Sawyer died from complications after contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during an ongoing global pandemic.

   After becoming infected while assigned to the city jail, he was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator a week later at Methodist Hospital Southlake Campus in Merrillville where he remained until he passed away.

   Sergeant Sawyer was survived by his wife, Mary (née Alwood); son, John; and daughter, Hannah.

Military Service

  

United States Air Force
Persian Gulf War ▪ War in Afghanistan
Technical Sergeant (TSGT) ▪ 1986–2006

Historical Notes

• Sergeant Sawyer is the third of eight Indiana line of duty deaths in 2021.
• He is the eighth line of duty death of the Hammond Police Department.
• His line of duty death is the 58th that has originated from Lake County.
As of February 1, 2024, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused 1,180,042 deaths in the United States and 26,307 deaths in Indiana. From November 2020 through January 2021, the deadliest wave was responsible for 7,140 deaths with the highest occurring in December 2020 when 3,038 died statewide. The pandemic has caused 874 known law enforcement officer deaths in the United States.

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Sergeant Thomas Edward Sawyer - Hammond Police Department - INLEM.org