James Lee Jefferson

Memphis Police Department — Memphis, TN

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch August 18, 1979

Age 31

Tour of Duty 9 yrs 6 mo

Badge 401

The Vigil Panel 121 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 93

Incident

Patrolman Jefferson was killed when an automobile struck his motorcycle at the corner of Elvis Presley Boulevard and Brooks Road. He was responding to a officer assistance call when the call was canceled.

Patrolman Jefferson was a United States Army veteran of the Vietnam war and served with the Memphis Police Department for nine and a half years. He is buried in Memphis National Cemetery

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TN-6C58A7AA
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. James is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Jefferson gave the Memphis Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Memphis community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Memphis Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Memphis, Shelby County, TN

Platform Identity mpd.shelby.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 18, 1979

Tour of Duty 9 yrs 6 mo

Age 31

Badge Number 401

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

James Lee Jefferson served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman James Lee Jefferson is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Memphis Police Department, 25 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.6% of this agency's fallen.

Memphis Police Department

of 94 officers

26.6% Accident

TN — Statewide

191

of 769 officers

24.8% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident