1997 Honor Roll of Heroes
Total Line of Duty Deaths: 179
Total Deaths by Month
- January 13
- February 23
- March 16
- April 19
- May 10
- June 9
- July 9
- August 15
- September 17
- October 18
- November 14
- December 16
Total Deaths by State
- Alabama 6
- Alaska 1
- Arizona 2
- Arkansas 7
- California 16
- Colorado 3
- Connecticut 2
- District of Columbia 3
- Florida 9
- Georgia 8
- Hawaii 1
- Idaho 2
- Illinois 9
- Indiana 8
- Iowa 1
- Kansas 1
- Kentucky 2
- Louisiana 3
- Maine 2
- Maryland 1
- Massachusetts 3
- Michigan 1
- Minnesota 1
- Mississippi 7
- Missouri 5
- Montana 1
- Nebraska 1
- Nevada 2
- New Hampshire 3
- New Jersey 5
- New Mexico 1
- New York 5
- North Carolina 6
- Ohio 7
- Oklahoma 1
- Oregon 4
- Pennsylvania 2
- Puerto Rico 6
- Railroad Police 1
- South Carolina 2
- Tennessee 5
- Texas 12
- Tribal Police 1
- U.S. Government 6
- Utah 1
- Washington 1
- Wisconsin 1
- Wyoming 1
Total Deaths by Gender
- Male 174
- Female 5
Statistics
- Average age 39
- Average tour of duty 10 years, 1 month
Total K9 Line of Duty Deaths: 6
Deputy Sheriff Michael Paul Haugen
Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Sunday, January 5, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff James Warren Lehmann, Jr.
Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Sunday, January 5, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Pedro E. Mercado-Alvira
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Thursday, January 16, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Henry Lloyd Brooks
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, AL
EOW: Saturday, January 18, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff William Dean Inman
Lemhi County Sheriff's Department, ID
EOW: Saturday, January 18, 1997
Cause: Aircraft accident
Chief of Police Bobby Gene Spencer
Shannon Police Department, MS
EOW: Saturday, January 18, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Massachusetts State Police, MA
EOW: Thursday, January 23, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Deputy Sheriff I David Michael Demos
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, WI
EOW: Saturday, January 25, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Special Agent Anthony S. Minetto, Sr.
United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - Investigations, US
EOW: Monday, January 27, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Brian Todd Batchelder
Bentonville Police Department, AR
EOW: Tuesday, January 28, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Hagerstown Police Department, IN
EOW: Wednesday, January 29, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Police Officer Willie Neal, Jr.
St. Louis County Police Department, MO
EOW: Wednesday, January 29, 1997
Cause: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Police Officer II Van Derick Johnson
Los Angeles Police Department, CA
EOW: Wednesday, February 5, 1997
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Master Patrol Officer Brian T. A. Gibson
Metropolitan Police Department, DC
EOW: Wednesday, February 5, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Patrol Officer Lawrence Carter Penrod
Spanish Fork City Police Department, UT
EOW: Wednesday, February 5, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Metro-Dade Police Department, FL
EOW: Friday, February 7, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer Michael Blankenship
Ohio State University Police Department, OH
EOW: Monday, February 10, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Master Detective Aubrey Fred Johnson
Citrus County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Tuesday, February 11, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Correction Officer Shirlene A. Jenkins
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, OH
EOW: Tuesday, February 11, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Police Officer Vernon O. "Bill" Winn
Iberia Police Department, MO
EOW: Wednesday, February 12, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
New York State Police, NY
EOW: Friday, February 14, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Corporal Richard David Barreda
Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport Police Department, TX
EOW: Friday, February 14, 1997
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Police Officer Michael David Moore
Garland Police Department, TX
EOW: Saturday, February 15, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Patrick Steven Coyle
San Diego County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Sunday, February 16, 1997
Cause: Aircraft accident
Police Officer II Samuel Anthony Redhouse
Navajo Division of Public Safety, TR
EOW: Monday, February 17, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Rocky Ripple Police Department, IN
EOW: Thursday, February 20, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Thomas W. Bourne
Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Department, MS
EOW: Friday, February 21, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff James P. Rutland
Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Department, MS
EOW: Friday, February 21, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Hinesville Police Department, GA
EOW: Saturday, February 22, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Pensacola Police Department, FL
EOW: Wednesday, February 26, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Officer Oliver Wendell Smith, Jr.
Metropolitan Police Department, DC
EOW: Wednesday, February 26, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Correctional Officer Eddie Mack Davis
Georgia Department of Corrections, GA
EOW: Thursday, February 27, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Correctional Officer Carlton R. Cherry, Sr.
Georgia Department of Corrections, GA
EOW: Thursday, February 27, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Correctional Officer Wayne Herman Griglen
Georgia Department of Corrections, GA
EOW: Thursday, February 27, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Georgia Department of Corrections, GA
EOW: Thursday, February 27, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Special Agent Harrison Dean Pulliam
United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, US
EOW: Sunday, March 2, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Chief of Police Virgil W. Dobbs, Jr.
Midland City Police Department, AL
EOW: Tuesday, March 4, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Correctional Officer Brent W. Lumley
Arizona Department of Corrections, AZ
EOW: Friday, March 7, 1997
Cause: Assault
Patrolman II Dannael James Weekes
Memphis Police Department, TN
EOW: Friday, March 7, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Patrol Officer Johnnie Norris Patterson, Jr.
Winter Haven Police Department, FL
EOW: Saturday, March 8, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Monday, March 10, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, KY
EOW: Monday, March 10, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Senior Border Patrol Agent Miguel Javier Maldonado
United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol, US
EOW: Monday, March 10, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Patrol Officer Daniel Philip Longstreet
Higginson Police Department, AR
EOW: Friday, March 14, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Richard P. Wentlandt
Metro-Dade Police Department, FL
EOW: Saturday, March 15, 1997
Cause: Duty related illness
Hutchinson County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Friday, March 21, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Rocky Ripple Police Department, IN
EOW: Sunday, March 23, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, TX
EOW: Wednesday, March 26, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer II Kenneth Kanani Keliipio
Hawaii County Police Department, HI
EOW: Thursday, March 27, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff Brian E. Meilbeck
Yuba County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Tuesday, April 1, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Ronald Leon DeHerrera
Denver Police Department, CO
EOW: Tuesday, April 1, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Interim Police Chief William R. Ricketts
New Middletown Police Department, OH
EOW: Wednesday, April 2, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Senior Officer Specialist Scott James Williams
United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons, US
EOW: Thursday, April 3, 1997
Cause: Stabbed
Pilot Officer Ernesto Caballero-Vega
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Saturday, April 5, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Cuong Huy "Tony" Trinh
Houston Police Department, TX
EOW: Sunday, April 6, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Charles E. McDougald
Buffalo Police Department, NY
EOW: Wednesday, April 9, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Joseph C. Rodgers
Florence County Sheriff's Office, SC
EOW: Wednesday, April 9, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Joseph A. Freedman
Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, MA
EOW: Friday, April 11, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Police Officer Ismael Morales-Chico
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Monday, April 14, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Patrol Sergeant Kenneth Eugene Snider
Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, KS
EOW: Friday, April 18, 1997
Cause: Stabbed
Poinsett County Sheriff's Office, AR
EOW: Thursday, April 24, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Trooper Andrew Patrick Winzenread
Indiana State Police, IN
EOW: Friday, April 25, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Bethlehem Police Department, PA
EOW: Friday, April 25, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer Henry Allen Brown
Dallas Police Department, TX
EOW: Friday, April 25, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Officer Robert Louis Johnson, Jr.
Metropolitan Police Department, DC
EOW: Sunday, April 27, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Probation Officer Donald R. "Charley" Knepple
Allen County Adult Probation Department, IN
EOW: Monday, April 28, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Kenneth J. Wolf
Frontier County Sheriff's Office, NE
EOW: Tuesday, April 29, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Deputy Sheriff William Thomas Bishop
Fayette County Sheriff's Department, TN
EOW: Friday, May 2, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Patrol Officer Vincent R. T. Arduini
Granby Police Department, CT
EOW: Sunday, May 4, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Lieutenant Frank J. Grice, Jr.
East Jefferson Levee District Police Department, LA
EOW: Wednesday, May 7, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Lieutenant Owen Eugene Sweeney, Jr.
Baltimore City Police Department, MD
EOW: Wednesday, May 7, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
California Highway Patrol, CA
EOW: Thursday, May 15, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Police Officer Anthony W. Sanchez
New York City Police Department, NY
EOW: Monday, May 19, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Phoenix Police Department, AZ
EOW: Wednesday, May 21, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff Randal Eugene Jennings
Butte County Sheriff's Office, CA
EOW: Wednesday, May 21, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Morrisville Police Department, NC
EOW: Thursday, May 22, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer Charles Andrew Lazzaretto
Glendale Police Department, CA
EOW: Tuesday, May 27, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Officer Daniel James Muehlhausen
California Highway Patrol, CA
EOW: Sunday, June 1, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Sheriff Franklin Jay Minnie, Sr.
Washoe County Sheriff's Office, NV
EOW: Sunday, June 1, 1997
Cause: Vehicle pursuit
Deputy Sheriff Edgar Allen Harrell
Marion County Sheriff's Department, MS
EOW: Monday, June 2, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Deputy Sheriff Keith Alan Fricke
Harris County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Wednesday, June 4, 1997
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Police Officer Peter Conrad Johnson, Jr.
North Harris Montgomery Community College District Police Department, TX
EOW: Sunday, June 8, 1997
Cause: Fall
Border Patrol Agent Stephen Clay Starch
United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol, US
EOW: Saturday, June 14, 1997
Cause: Fall
Sergeant Lucy Echevarria-Colon
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Monday, June 16, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Wyoming Department of Corrections, WY
EOW: Thursday, June 26, 1997
Cause: Stabbed
Correctional Officer I William F. Immer
Alabama Department of Corrections, AL
EOW: Friday, July 4, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Middleton Police Department, MA
EOW: Thursday, July 10, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Private Michael Donell Stephenson
Richmond County Board of Education Public Safety, GA
EOW: Wednesday, July 16, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Chief of Police Willard Wayne Hathaway
Sharpsburg Police Department, NC
EOW: Friday, July 18, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Florida Highway Patrol, FL
EOW: Saturday, July 26, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff Sean David Earp
Mayes County Sheriff's Office, OK
EOW: Sunday, July 27, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Corrections Officer Frederick W. Baker
New Jersey Department of Corrections, NJ
EOW: Wednesday, July 30, 1997
Cause: Stabbed
Deputy Sheriff Ronald Alan Kanze
Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, AR
EOW: Saturday, August 2, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Patrolman William P. Bosworth, Jr.
Andover Township Police Department, NJ
EOW: Tuesday, August 5, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Kemper County Sheriff's Office, MS
EOW: Saturday, August 9, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Sergeant Charles Lanny Bridges
Covington Police Department, TN
EOW: Thursday, August 14, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Allen County Sheriff's Department, IN
EOW: Friday, August 15, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Shayne Daniel York
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Saturday, August 16, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
New Hampshire State Police, NH
EOW: Tuesday, August 19, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
New Hampshire State Police, NH
EOW: Tuesday, August 19, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Jason D. Conklin
Tuxedo Park Village Police Department, NY
EOW: Thursday, August 21, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
South Bend Police Department, IN
EOW: Sunday, August 24, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Ravalli County Sheriff's Department, MT
EOW: Sunday, August 24, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Monday, August 25, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer William Francis Lowry
Tacoma Police Department, WA
EOW: Thursday, August 28, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Howard City Police Department, MI
EOW: Sunday, August 31, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Oregon State Police, OR
EOW: Tuesday, September 2, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Oregon State Police, OR
EOW: Tuesday, September 2, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Carter County Sheriff's Department, KY
EOW: Friday, September 5, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Rich Hill Police Department, MO
EOW: Saturday, September 6, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Sean Isaac
Fresno County Sheriff's Office, CA
EOW: Monday, September 8, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Corrections Officer Paul B. Beridon
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CA
EOW: Thursday, September 11, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Corrections Officer Mylene G. Zalar
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CA
EOW: Thursday, September 11, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Coroner William Morgan Belcher, Sr.
McLean County Coroner's Office, IL
EOW: Friday, September 12, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Wednesday, September 17, 1997
Cause: Aircraft accident
Lieutenant George Maurice Hendrix, Jr.
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Wednesday, September 17, 1997
Cause: Aircraft accident
Police Officer Gregory Ivan Young
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Thursday, September 18, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer II Mark Arlin Stall
Boise Police Department, ID
EOW: Saturday, September 20, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Markham Police Department, IL
EOW: Saturday, September 20, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Corporal David Walter Hathcock
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, NC
EOW: Tuesday, September 23, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
North Carolina Highway Patrol, NC
EOW: Tuesday, September 23, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Donald Roy Stockburger
Pecos County Sheriff's Department, TX
EOW: Tuesday, September 23, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Montgomery Police Department, AL
EOW: Wednesday, September 24, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Billy Wayne McIntosh
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, LA
EOW: Wednesday, October 1, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Sergeant Richard James Schuening
Oregon State Police, OR
EOW: Thursday, October 2, 1997
Cause: Explosion
Norfolk Southern Railroad Police Department, RR
EOW: Tuesday, October 7, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Thursday, October 9, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Agent Geraldo A. Santiago-Vazquez
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Thursday, October 9, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Captain Peter Christopher "Chris" McCurley
Etowah County Sheriff's Office, AL
EOW: Friday, October 10, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer John Richard Sowa
Atlanta Police Department, GA
EOW: Sunday, October 12, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Correctional Officer James Dimanoff
Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division, TX
EOW: Tuesday, October 14, 1997
Cause: Fall
Deputy Sheriff Gilbert Glen Androy
Fremont County Sheriff's Office, IA
EOW: Wednesday, October 15, 1997
Cause: Fall
Police Officer Emily Jewett Morgenroth
Sacramento Police Department, CA
EOW: Friday, October 17, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Polk County Sheriff's Office, MO
EOW: Sunday, October 19, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Jackson Police Department, MS
EOW: Wednesday, October 22, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Chief Deputy Sheriff Joe Lynn Young
Copiah County Sheriff's Office, MS
EOW: Sunday, October 26, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Sheriff Michael Lee Hoenig
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Thursday, October 30, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Illinois State Police, IL
EOW: Thursday, October 30, 1997
Cause: Aircraft accident
Chief of Police Wallace Lee Clinard
Cross Plains Police Department, TN
EOW: Tuesday, November 4, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Aroostook County Sheriff's Office, ME
EOW: Friday, November 7, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Police Officer Dewey Joe Sherbo, III
Newark Police Division, NJ
EOW: Sunday, November 9, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Inspector Gregory A. Geoffrion
New Mexico Motor Transportation Police, NM
EOW: Tuesday, November 11, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Police Officer Bruce VanderJagt
Denver Police Department, CO
EOW: Wednesday, November 12, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Friday, November 14, 1997
Cause: Assault
Sergeant Steven Donald Van Horn
Newport Beach Police Department, CA
EOW: Sunday, November 16, 1997
Cause: Duty related illness
Sergeant George Douglas Johnston
Louisiana State Police, LA
EOW: Monday, November 17, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Sheriff Richard Scott Owen
Benton County Sheriff's Office, AR
EOW: Tuesday, November 18, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Patrolman William Douglas Glover, Jr.
Ashtabula Police Department, OH
EOW: Tuesday, November 18, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Bradley Police Department, IL
EOW: Thursday, November 20, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Detective Sergeant Patrick A. King
Long Branch Police Department, NJ
EOW: Thursday, November 20, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Sergeant Michael W. Muzychenko
Lyndhurst Police Department, OH
EOW: Tuesday, November 25, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Elko County Sheriff's Office, NV
EOW: Saturday, November 29, 1997
Cause: Fall
Special Agent Troy Layne Pierce, Sr.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation, GA
EOW: Tuesday, December 2, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer Richard R. Schott
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Wednesday, December 3, 1997
Cause: Heart attack
Long Beach Police Department, IN
EOW: Thursday, December 4, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Police Officer Thomas G. Smith, Jr.
St. Louis County Police Department, MO
EOW: Friday, December 5, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Cincinnati Police Department, OH
EOW: Friday, December 5, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Specialist Ronald D. Jeter
Cincinnati Police Department, OH
EOW: Friday, December 5, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Denver Police Department, CO
EOW: Saturday, December 6, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Neil A. Forster
New York City Police Department, NY
EOW: Thursday, December 11, 1997
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Police Officer Leddie James Brown
Philadelphia Police Department, PA
EOW: Thursday, December 11, 1997
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Senior Special Agent Shaun Edmond Curl
United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration, US
EOW: Friday, December 12, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Waterbury Police Department, CT
EOW: Saturday, December 13, 1997
Cause: Duty related illness
Sergeant Joe Nathan Jones, Jr.
Collier County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Saturday, December 13, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff Michael J. Metroka
Broward County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Monday, December 15, 1997
Cause: Vehicular assault
Davidson Police Department, NC
EOW: Thursday, December 25, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
Correctional Officer Jackie Wayne Pierce
Arkansas Department of Corrections, AR
EOW: Wednesday, December 31, 1997
Cause: Automobile crash
First Sergeant Frankie Lee Lingard
South Carolina Highway Patrol, SC
EOW: Wednesday, December 31, 1997
Cause: Gunfire
