Buddy Ray Crabtree
Agency patch
Police Chief

Buddy Ray Crabtree

Ider Police Department — Ider, AL
Illness
End of Watch October 30, 2021
Age 65
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 178 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Chief Buddy Crabtree died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.

Chief Crabtree had served with the Ider Police Department for 10 years and had previously served with the Bridgeport Police Department.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Police Chief Buddy Ray Crabtree died on October 30, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 65.

He is one of 884 officers honored here.

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 wife, four children, and eight grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-5197FB51
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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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Police Chief Crabtree gave the Ider Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Ider community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Chief Crabtree.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Ider, DeKalb County, AL
Platform Identity ipd.dekalb.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 30, 2021
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
Age 65
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

Police Chief Buddy Ray Crabtree is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In AL, 23 of 643 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Ider Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Illness
AL — Statewide
23
of 643 officers
3.6% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Buddy Ray Crabtree's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Buddy Ray Crabtree Compares

Age at Death
65
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
14
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Buddy Ray Crabtree is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Ider Police Department are honored on badge.nw.