John Frank Bass Jr.
Agency patch
Trooper

John Frank Bass Jr.

Georgia State Patrol — Atlanta, GA
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch February 15, 1950
Age 31
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Badge 188
The Vigil Panel 86 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper John Bass was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on 24th Avenue, West of 5th Street in Cordele, Georgia. At 7:00 p.m., he was returning to the station from his lunch break when he was hit. He was transported to Adams Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries over an hour later. When the driver was apprehended shortly after fleeing the crash scene, he was intoxicated. He pleaded nolo contendere and was fined $300 of a $1000 fine and given a three-year suspended sentence. Trooper Bass was a United States Army WWII military police veteran and had served with the Georgia State Patrol for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-CB8E2C1B
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Bass gave the Georgia State Patrol 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Georgia, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Atlanta, GA
Platform Identity ghp.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 15, 1950
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 31
Badge Number 188
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Military Service

John Frank Bass Jr. served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper John Frank Bass Jr. 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 97,759 officers honored here.

In GA, 548 of 904 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.6% of this state's fallen. That is 60.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Georgia State Patrol, 4 of 29 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 13.8% of this agency's fallen.

Georgia State Patrol
4
of 29 officers
13.8% Felonious
GA — Statewide
548
of 904 officers
60.6% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Frank Bass Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

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

How John Frank Bass Jr. Compares

Age at Death
31
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
2
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Frank Bass Jr. is highlighted in Feb.

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.

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

Incident Location

Military Service

John Frank Bass Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit John Frank Bass Jr.’s page on salute.nw →

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