Joe Martin Olivares
Agency patch
Sergeant

Joe Martin Olivares

Illness
End of Watch August 18, 2021
Age 50
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
The Vigil Panel 176 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Joe Olivares died from died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 while performing his duties at the John B. Connally Correctional Institution at 899 FM 632 in Kenedy.

Sergeant Olivares served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for seven years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Sergeant Joe Martin Olivares died on August 18, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.

He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 55 at Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division.

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 three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-F1F4A37F
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.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Sergeant Olivares gave the Texas Department of Criminal Justice 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Olivares.

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

Agency

Location Huntsville, TX
Platform Identity tdcjcidcorr.walker.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 18, 2021
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
Age 50
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

Sergeant Joe Martin Olivares is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 204 of 2,421 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

At Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division, 55 of 124 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 44.4% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division
55
of 124 officers
44.4% Illness
TX — Statewide
204
of 2,421 officers
8.4% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joe Martin Olivares's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Joe Martin Olivares Compares

Age at End of Watch
50
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
7
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Joe Martin Olivares is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location