Incident
Police Officer Matt Hefter died as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Officer Hefter had served with the Phoenix Police Department for over 24 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Police Officer Mathew Aaron Hefter died on August 7, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.
He is one of 885 officers honored here, and one of 3 at Phoenix Police Department.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his son, sister, aunts, nieces, and nephews.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
neuraspine_01krbxtp54d57m3nhs4d48qcbj- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Mathew is one person.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Police Officer Hefter gave the Phoenix Police Department 24 years.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Hefter.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Illness
Phoenix Police Department has lost 47 officers; 3 of them lost to illness.
Mathew is one of 16 officers lost to illness in AZ, 4.8% of the 330 remembered there.
Mathew is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Mathew is one of 2,979 officers lost to illness worldwide, 8.7% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2021, 10 officers in AZ were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 564 officers in the United States were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 566 officers worldwide were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
Who
Mathew was 50. Of the 16 lost to illness in AZ whose age is recorded, half were between 46.8 and 54.5; the middle age was 50. Mathew had served 24 years; the middle length of service was 19.5 years.
Mathew was 50. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Mathew had served 24 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
Mathew was 50. Of the 2,916 lost to illness worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 39 and 56; the middle age was 49. Mathew had served 24 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
When
August holds 12.5% of these deaths in AZ; July holds the most, 18.8%. Saturdays: 6.3%.
August holds 10.2% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Saturdays: 13.9%.
August holds 9.5% of these deaths worldwide; October holds the most, 12.6%. Saturdays: 14.8%.
How
Illness deaths account for 6.4% of all 47 deaths at Phoenix Police Department, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 4.8% of all 330 deaths in AZ, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 8.7% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the 3rd most common cause.
His people
Phoenix Police Department has 47 officers remembered here, Mathew among them.
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Haze Burch
Feb 5, 1925
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David Lee Johnson
May 2, 1944
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Walter H. Stewart
Feb 19, 1952
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Albert Raymond Bluhm
Dec 28, 1970
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Dale Crist Stone
Dec 28, 1970
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Clay Quincy Haywood
Nov 22, 1971
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Michael Dennis Hemschmeyer
Nov 2, 1973
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Gilbert Richard Chavez
Jun 16, 1975
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John Franklin MacInnis
Feb 22, 1976
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Arthur Edward Del Gaudio, Jr.
Apr 22, 1976
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Ignacio Gonzales Conchos
Jul 1, 1982
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John R. Davis, Sr.
Aug 6, 1982
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Kenneth E. Campbell
Jan 29, 1984
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Errol C. Hawkins
Apr 24, 1984
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Robert L. Polmanteer
May 4, 1984
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Kevin William Forsythe
Sep 7, 1984
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John A. Robertson
Nov 19, 1984
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Robert T. Fike
Jan 8, 1986
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Kenneth L. Collings
May 27, 1988
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Patrick O. Briggs
Jun 20, 1990
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John Wayne Domblisky
Jul 26, 1990
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Danny L. Tunney
Jul 26, 1990
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Leonard Leon Kolodziej
Sep 4, 1991
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David Martin Kieffer
May 21, 1997
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Marc Todd Atkinson
Mar 26, 1999
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Goelet Alessandro Carlo Beuf
Nov 1, 1999
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Beryl Wayne Scott, Jr.
Sep 10, 2002
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Donald Ralph Schultz
May 12, 2004
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Eric James White
Aug 28, 2004
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Jason Alan Wolfe
Aug 28, 2004
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David Christopher Uribe
May 10, 2005
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Paul Robert Salmon
Nov 29, 2005
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George Valentino Cortez, Jr.
Jul 27, 2007
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Nicki James Erfle
Sep 18, 2007
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Shane Cory Figueroa
Oct 25, 2008
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Travis Paul Murphy
May 26, 2010
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Daryl Michael Raetz
May 19, 2013
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John Thomas Hobbs
Mar 3, 2014
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Craig Tiger
Nov 7, 2014
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David Van Glasser
May 19, 2016
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Paul Thomas Rutherford
Mar 21, 2019
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Greg Scott Carnicle
Mar 29, 2020
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Ginarro Allen New
May 31, 2021
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Mathew Aaron Hefter
Aug 7, 2021
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Thomas Crawford Craig
Sep 3, 2021
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Phillip James Vavrinec, Jr.
Sep 22, 2021
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Zane Tristan Coolidge
Sep 6, 2024
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 44-W
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Also Remembered
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →
Others Who Wore This Badge
46 officers from Phoenix Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















