Roll of Honor
Incident
Village Marshal John Phipps succumbed to rabies as a result of being bitten by a rabid dog. The dog had bitten a young girl and, as Marshal Phipps attempted to kill it, the dog also bit the officer. After showing symptoms of the disease, he was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital where he later died.
Survivors
Marshal Phipps was survived by wife and 12 children (several from two previous marriages).
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-C5A5AA9C- 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.
Village Marshal Phipps served with the Wood River Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Wood River community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Village Marshal Phipps.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Village Marshal John Phipps 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Wood River Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Phipps's cause is highlighted.
How John Phipps Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Phipps is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Wood River Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
