Line-of-Duty Death (LODD)
Leaders have a duty to prepare their officers and protect their families — because when tragedy strikes, there may be no second chance
After the January 6 Capitol riot, DC Officer Jeffrey Smith died by suicide — his widow’s fight changed the law and redefined duty-related trauma
This could be the year we finally drop below 100 line-of-duty deaths — a goal many once believed was out of reach
The Greene County sheriff’s office said the deputy lost control of a patrol car while heading to assist in a Farmville PD pursuit
The cases span more than four decades and include the murders of Palm Springs Officers Jose Vega and Lesley Zerebny and Sacramento Officer Tara O’Sullivan
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies Mason Acheson, a SWAT sniper, and Parker Perry, a K-9 deputy, died after being shot near Spangle; they both leave behind their wives and young children
Lakewood Officer Nic Graham was killed by a suspect who opened fire as officers boarded an RTD bus; the suspect was fatally shot in the shootout
Spokane County Deputy Parker Perry and Deputy Mason Acheson were shot as they tried to break down the door of a home where a woman reported being shot by her brother
Officer Thomas Denton, who joined LAPD in 2006, died while training with the dive team
One Spokane County deputy died and the other remained on life support so his organs can be donated; both were struck by gunfire while trying to breach the door of a home
Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma was killed and a Eureka Police Department officer was wounded during the response; Terpsma joined the sheriff’s office in May 2026
Logan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Caden Mullins was killed in the collision; a passenger in the cruiser was airlifted to receive medical treatment
Rodney Hinton Jr. fatally struck retired Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson as he worked a traffic detail; Hinton Jr. had watched bodycam video showing the fatal OIS of his son hours before the incident
Fort Worth Police Brian Gentry had been employed by the city as an officer since 2004; He was assigned to the fugitive unit as a U.S. Marshals Service task force officer
Van Zandt County Deputy Adam Sherifi was killed and a Canton Police officer was wounded in a shootout with a suspect wanted on warrants of assault on a peace officer
Clay Township Police Sergeant Jacob Roesler, 26, was responding to a crash with emergency lights activated when another vehicle crashed into his cruiser
Minnehaha Sheriff’s Deputy Katherine Frank, 26, died days after she was shot while responding to a call at a residence
Brevard County Sheriff’s Homicide Agent Kevin Morris, 55, was en route to the scene of a deputy-involved shooting when a wrong-way driver crashed into his vehicle head-on
Officer Shane Seiber, 40, is survived by his wife and two young children
Trooper Brad Ritger, 29, fell from the elevated bridge as he worked to deploy spike strips to stop a fleeing driver
George William Bacorn Jr., 62, who had served as Denton police chief for 36 years, was killed when a box truck crossed over the center line and struck his vehicle head-on
Tyson Hampton fatally shot Officer Truong Thai in October 2022 as her responded to a domestic violence report; when Thai approached Hampton’s car, the defendant grabbed an AK-47 and fired 18 rounds
Officer Brian Liles was involved in an on-duty crash on Highway 99; he had served with CHP for 16 years
Trooper Hayden Phillips, a husband and father of three, was remembered as a “hero who dedicated himself to protecting our commonwealth”
Terrance “Terry” Revella, a retired captain with the N.Y. State Environmental Conservation Police, was one of the first responders on the scene during the attacks and survived the collapse of both towers
Ronald Lindsey Reed was arrested in 2005 and convicted in 2006 of aiding and abetting and conspiring to commit first-degree murder in the death of St. Paul Officer James Sackett
A memorial unveiling at NYPD headquarters revealed the names of 469 officers who contracted illnesses while working the Ground Zero pile in the months after the attack, and later died
Deputy Michael Hendricks, 33, “showed up every day ready to serve,” Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said; Hendricks joined the agency in April 2023 and most recently served on the Metro Unit
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is adding a permanent seventh moment of silence to honor first responders, recovery workers and survivors who died from 9/11-related illnesses
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