Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer French succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when he was involved in a motorcycle accident on the Ford Expressway. Officer French was driving east in the morning into the sun on I-94 under Grand River Avenue and didn't see a 12x12 timber workers had placed across the ramp. His helmet came off during the accident and he sustained major head injuries. Officer French was a U.S Army Air Corps veteran of WWII and had served with the Detroit Police Department for nine years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and child.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-C592D809- 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
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.
Police Officer French gave the Detroit Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John B. French served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer John B. French is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Detroit Police Department, 58 of 250 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John B. French's cause is highlighted.
How John B. French Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John B. French is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
