James M. West Sr.
Agency patch
Lieutenant

James M. West Sr.

Decatur County Sheriff's Office — Bainbridge, GA
Felonious
End of Watch October 28, 1980
Age 56
Tour of Duty 16 yrs
Badge 685-C
The Vigil Panel 123 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant James West was stabbed to death by a female mental patient. The woman's family had requested assistance in transporting her to a state mental hospital and Lieutenant West responded to the home. The woman was committed to a state hospital. Lieutenant West had served with the Decatur County Sheriff's Office for 16 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-093FEAFF
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.
Lieutenant West gave the Decatur County Sheriff's Office 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bainbridge community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant West.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Bainbridge, Decatur County, GA
Platform Identity dcso.decatur.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 28, 1980
Tour of Duty 16 yrs
Age 56
Badge Number 685-C
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Edged weapon

Lieutenant James M. West Sr. is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In GA, 549 of 905 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 60.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Decatur County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.

Decatur County Sheriff's Office
3
of 4 officers
75% Felonious
GA — Statewide
549
of 905 officers
60.7% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James M. West Sr.'s cause is highlighted.

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

How James M. West Sr. Compares

Age at Death
56
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
16
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James M. West Sr. is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James M. West Sr. was killed by edged weapon.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909