Roll of Honor
Incident
Undersheriff Thompson died of heat stroke after riding on horseback for 60 miles in 100-degree temperatures.
He had ridden from Missoula to the Flathead Indian Reservation to arrest a man who had escaped from the county jail. When he arrived at the reservation he collapsed. He was put under the care of a doctor but died one week later.
Undersheriff Thompson was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Undersheriff Thompson was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MT-6437FAA7- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew James. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
148 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Undersheriff Thompson served with the Missoula County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Missoula community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Undersheriff James Thompson 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 MT, 34 of 142 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Missoula County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Thompson's cause is highlighted.
How James Thompson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Thompson is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Missoula County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
