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Joel Michael Robertson
Agency patch
Detective

Joel Michael Robertson

Charleston County Police Department — Charleston, SC
Veteran → Accident
United States flag South Carolina flag
End of Watch May 4, 1978
Age 39
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 119 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 5

Incident

Detective Joel Robertson was killed when his department vehicle was struck head-on by another vehicle on Highway 17 in the Whitehall Terrace section of Mount Pleasant.

The driver of the other vehicle was also killed in the crash.

Detective Robertson had served with the Charleston County Police Department for four years and was assigned to the Warrants Division. He had previously served with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by five siblings, stepfather, and grandmother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-73B1ED50
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. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Joel is one person.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Robertson gave the Charleston County Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Robertson.

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

Agency

Department Charleston County Police Department
Type Police Department
Location Charleston, SC
Platform Identity ccpd.charleston.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 4, 1978
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Joel Michael Robertson served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1957–1960) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Detective Joel Michael Robertson 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 SC, 138 of 441 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.3% of this state's fallen. That is 31.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Charleston County Police Department, 1 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.

Charleston County Police Department
1
of 6 officers
16.7% Accident
SC — Statewide
138
of 441 officers
31.3% 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. Joel Michael Robertson's cause is highlighted.

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

How Joel Michael Robertson Compares

Age at Death
39
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joel Michael Robertson is highlighted in May.

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

Incident Location

Military Service

Joel Michael Robertson served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1957–1960) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Joel Michael Robertson’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.