Roll of Honor
Joseph Apodaca
Incident
Sergeant Joseph Apodaca was killed pursuing a reckless driver at approximately 11:44 pm on NM-518 near a driveway at the 7200 block, between Ranchos de Taos and Talpa. Around 10:25 pm that evening, Taos County Sheriff's deputies were searching for a suspected reckless driver and were alerted that the suspect had used a driveway near the 7200 block. As Sergeant Apodaca was turning into the drive, his motorcycle collided with a sheriff's deputy pickup truck turning left into the drive. Sergeant Apodaca suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced at the scene. The suspected reckless driver is still at large.
Biography
Sergeant Apodaca had served with the Taos County Sheriff's Office for 8 years, had previously served with the county jail, and was a member of the Swift Water Rescue Team.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NM-C9A9E024- 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.
Sergeant Apodaca gave the Taos County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to Taos County. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Apodaca.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Joseph Apodaca 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 NM, 59 of 193 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.6% of this state's fallen. That is 30.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Apodaca's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Apodaca Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Apodaca is highlighted in May.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Taos County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.