James William Cook
Deputy Sheriff

James William Cook

Accident
End of Watch October 10, 1993
Age 36
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Badge 246
The Vigil Panel 139 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy James Cook was killed in an accident while responding to a domestic violence call. As Deputy Cook was responding, a deer struck the front of his cruiser causing his vehicle's airbag to inflate and obstruct his view. Deputy Cook's vehicle ran off the roadway, struck several trees and killed him instantly. Deputy Cook had served with the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office for eight years.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents and three siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-4651C74F
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 Cook gave the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Clinton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Cook.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Clinton, DeWitt County, IL
Platform Identity dcso.dewitt.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 10, 1993
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 36
Badge Number 246
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff James William Cook is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

DeWitt County Sheriff's Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James William Cook's cause is highlighted.

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

How James William Cook Compares

Age at Death
36
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
8
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James William Cook is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from DeWitt County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.