Dewey Rickles
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Dewey Rickles

Felonious
End of Watch April 14, 1948
Age 48
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
The Vigil Panel 84 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Dewey Rickles was shot and killed as he responded to a domestic disturbance call at a residence in Morris. As he entered the home, he was shot three times when a man opened fire with a rifle. Minutes later, a fellow officer shot and killed the suspect. Deputy Rickles had served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for 18 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-DCBA42F6
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Rickles gave the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Rickles.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL
Platform Identity jcso.jefferson.al.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 14, 1948
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Age 48
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle

Deputy Sheriff Dewey Rickles is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In AL, 405 of 643 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63% of this state's fallen. That is 63 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, 15 of 24 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62.5% of this agency's fallen.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
15
of 24 officers
62.5% Felonious
AL — Statewide
405
of 643 officers
63% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dewey Rickles's cause is highlighted.

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

How Dewey Rickles Compares

Age at Death
48
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
18
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Dewey Rickles is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Dewey Rickles was killed by rifle.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909