James LaDow Davis
Agency patch
Lieutenant

James LaDow Davis

Ocean Shores Police Department — Ocean Shores, WA
Accident
End of Watch April 26, 1998
Age 41
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Badge 4A3
The Vigil Panel 145 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant James Davis died during a rescue of a stranded surfer. Lieutenant Davis and three other members of the Ocean Shores Police Surf Rescue Team had gone out in the 10 to 12-foot swells in two separate boats. His inflatable boat capsized, and both occupants were thrown into the water. He was brought ashore by the US Coast Guard but was not breathing. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. All of the other people involved were rescued. Lieutenant Davis had served with the Ocean Shores Police Department for 18 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-BC942DEF
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.
Lieutenant Davis gave the Ocean Shores Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Ocean Shores community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Davis.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor County, WA
Platform Identity ospd.graysharbor.wa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 26, 1998
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Age 41
Badge Number 4A3
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Lieutenant James LaDow Davis 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 WA, 111 of 340 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.6% of this state's fallen. That is 32.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Ocean Shores Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
WA — Statewide
111
of 340 officers
32.6% 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 LaDow Davis's cause is highlighted.

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

How James LaDow Davis Compares

Age at Death
41
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
18
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James LaDow Davis is highlighted in Apr.

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 Ocean Shores Police Department are honored on badge.nw.