James Scott LaRue
Agency patch
Sergeant

James Scott LaRue

Illness Veteran →
End of Watch November 21, 2020
Age 48
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
The Vigil Panel 173 ›
Gender Male

His Life

Sergeant James LaRue died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in a presumed exposure.

Sergeant LaRue was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office for 21 years and was assigned to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Sergeant James Scott LaRue died on November 21, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 48.

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 and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-FC09C336
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Sergeant LaRue gave the Seminole County Sheriff's Office 21 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sanford community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant LaRue.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Sanford, Seminole County, FL
Platform Identity semiso.seminole.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 21, 2020
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
Age 48
Gender Male

His Life Details

Cause Illness

Military Service

James Scott LaRue served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant James Scott LaRue is one of 3,037 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.3% of all 32,586 officers honored here.

In FL, 81 of 1,008 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.3 percentage points below the national rate of 9.3%.

At Seminole County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 8 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.5% of this agency's fallen.

Seminole County Sheriff's Office
1
of 8 officers
12.5% Illness
FL — Statewide
81
of 1,008 officers
8% Illness
Nationwide
3,037
of 32,586 officers
9.3% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Scott LaRue's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,559 (53.9%)
Accident
10,094 (31%)
Illness
3,037 (9.3%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
334 (1%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)

How James Scott LaRue Compares

Age at End of Watch
48
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
21
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. James Scott LaRue is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location

Military Service

James Scott LaRue served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

Visit James Scott LaRue’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.