Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer James Finn was killed when his horse fell at Lynhurst Avenue and University Avenue as he returned to the Prior Avenue substation. He stopped at a watering trough where he saw an acquaintance and leaned slightly to talk to him. At the same time, his horse slipped on a smooth stone, and Officer Finn was thrown forward with the horse on top of him. He struck his head on the curb in the fall. The horse then rolled onto him as it struggled to get back up. Officer Finn was taken to Cobb Sanitarium but never regained consciousness and succumbed to the injuries the following afternoon. Officer Finn had been with the St. Paul Police Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife and twelve children. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery, St Paul, Minnesota.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and twelve children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-EFDA798A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Finn gave the Saint Paul Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Saint Paul community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Finn.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer James William Finn is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MN, 84 of 293 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Saint Paul Police Department, 11 of 33 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James William Finn's cause is highlighted.
How James William Finn Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James William Finn is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
32 officers from Saint Paul Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
