Swansea Police Recognize 20th Anniversary of Lt. Robert ‘Officer Bob’ Cabral’s Line-of-Duty Death

Today marks 20 years since the line-of-duty death of Lt. Robert “Officer Bob” Cabral. On Nov. 5, 2005, Officer Bob was killed by a drunken driver. (Photo Courtesy Swansea Police Department)

SWANSEA — Exactly two decades ago, then-Swansea Police Officer Mark Foley rolled over to answer an ominous late-night phone call.

“I had just left my 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. shift, went home and literally just put my head down on my pillow when my phone rang,” recalls Chief Foley, who now heads the Police Department.

“One of my fellow officers told me what happened,” remembers Chief Foley. “I can still hear the words of this officer asking me, ‘Can you come back in? We need help and I really need someone to talk to.’ I immediately jumped out of bed, put my uniform on and went back to work.”

Today marks 20 years since the line-of-duty death of Lt. Robert “Officer Bob” Cabral.

Lt. Cabral was on patrol in the westbound lanes of Route 6 in his Swansea Police SUV around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2005, when an oncoming driver crossed the center line and caused a head-on collision. The other driver was intoxicated.

“I partnered up with that officer, and we worked together answering calls for service that night, and the next, and the next,” says Chief Foley. “We leaned on each other. We worked as a team.”

The driver of the other vehicle was arrested and charged with Operating Under the Influence Resulting in Motor Vehicle Homicide, Operating Negligently and Failure to Stay in Marked Lanes. On June 4, 2007, the other driver pleaded guilty to manslaughter under the influence of alcohol, and on June 26, 2007, he was sentenced to serve 5 to 7 years.

Cabral, 52 years old at the time of his death, was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He had served with the Swansea Police Department for 26 years, and was survived by his two children, a brother and two sisters.

Lt. Cabral was affectionately known across Swansea as “Officer Bob.” He was a long-time D.A.R.E. officer, and at one point, when funding for D.A.R.E. became an issue, Officer Bob volunteered to continue conducting the program on his own time.

“Often times, he would work the overnight shift then facilitate the D.A.R.E. program during the day on his own time,” said Chief Foley. “Officer Bob was truly community-based. He was rooted in this community, and he made an effort to learn everything and everyone in the Town of Swansea. He was a part of the fabric of this community.”

Officer Bob’s passing left a huge hole in the community, and deeply affected those with whom he served, including Chief Foley.

“I learned that night, my profession as a law enforcement officer, my duty to serve, does not stop,” said Chief Foley. “Citizens rely on us, to keep them safe, to comfort them, to be there.”

More than 300 testimonials have been posted on Officer Bob’s Officer Down Memorial Page. 

“I graduated (Joseph Case High School in) 2001,” Swansea native Audrey Moniz-Bigos posted last year. “Officer Bob was our D.A.R.E. officer at the Jr High. He was the first police officer that taught us they were there to help us, and we shouldn’t fear them. He came down to our level and was our friend. Officer Bob is a legend and will always be remembered. We will always tell his story.”

Since Officer Bob’s death, the Swansea Police Department has honored his memory in numerous ways. His portrait hangs in the Department’s roll call room; memorials have been erected outside the Swansea Police Department and at The Lt. Cabral Memorial Soccer fields behind Case Jr High School; and an annual Hoyle Elementary School award bears his name.

“Well, I realized that the police profession never really has been a job to me,” Chief Foley said recently while presenting the Officer Bob Award at the Mark G. Hoyle Elementary school. “You don’t work; you serve. You serve the community. You serve the community, just like Officer Bob did. When you serve with a purpose, as Officer Bob did, it really doesn’t feel like a job. When you have the opportunity to give back and create an impact, it is rewarding. It is extremely rewarding when you make a difference in someone’s life, when you help someone. When you put others first, it is fulfilling. When things don’t go well, you don’t stop, you work harder. You always answer the call, even though you don’t know what it’s going to bring. Officer Bob taught me these things in life and in death.”

Chief Foley presented the 2025 Officer Bob Award — given each year to a second grader who embodies all the character traits that Officer Bob exemplified, such as kindness, willingness to help, acceptance and perseverance — to Hoyle Elementary School student Bella Peters.

“This award encompasses everything Officer Bob stood for,” Chief Foley said. “Compassion for your peers, dedication to your community, and above all always putting others before yourself. It is an honor just to be nominated for this award. Congratulations to each finalist.”

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Since Officer Bob’s death, the Swansea Police Department has honored his memory in numerous ways — memorials have been erected outside the Swansea Police Department and at The Lt. Cabral Memorial Soccer fields behind Case Jr High School. (Photo Courtesy Swansea Police Department)

Since Officer Bob’s death, the Swansea Police Department has honored his memory in numerous ways — memorials have been erected outside the Swansea Police Department and at The Lt. Cabral Memorial Soccer fields behind Case Jr High School. (Photo Courtesy Swansea Police Department)

One year, funding ran out for the local D.A.R.E. Program. Longtime D.A.R.E. Lt. Cabral volunteered to continue leading the D.A.R.E. Program in his free time, for no pay. (Photo Courtesy Swansea Police Department)

One year, funding ran out for the local D.A.R.E. Program. Longtime D.A.R.E. Lt. Cabral volunteered to continue leading the D.A.R.E. Program in his free time, for no pay. (Photo Courtesy Swansea Police Department)

Robert “Officer Bob” Cabral, 52 years old at the time of his death, was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He had served with the Swansea Police Department for 26 years. (Photo Courtesy Swansea Police Department)