James Ezra Tolbert
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

James Ezra Tolbert

Accident
End of Watch February 8, 1937
Age 42
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 72 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy James Tolbert and Deputy Henry Healy drowned when their motorboat foundered near Harrisburg. The deputies and a third man were taking supplies to flood victims.

Deputy Tolbert had served with the Saline County Sheriff's Department for four years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-1D5C5B49
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.
Deputy Sheriff Tolbert gave the Saline County Sheriff's Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Harrisburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Tolbert.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Harrisburg, Saline County, IL
Platform Identity scso.saline.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 8, 1937
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 42
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff James Ezra Tolbert 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Saline County Sheriff's Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Saline County Sheriff's Department
3
of 5 officers
60% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% 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 Ezra Tolbert's cause is highlighted.

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

How James Ezra Tolbert Compares

Age at Death
42
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Ezra Tolbert is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897