Roll of Honor
Joseph E. Essington
Incident
Detective Joseph Essington was struck and killed by a train in the Big Four Railroad yards in South Anderson, Indiana.
He was patrolling the yards when he accidentally stepped into the patch of a switch engine that was backing up with a string of cars. It is believed that he did not hear the engine due to the noise in the rail yard. His body was found later in the morning by a railroad employee.
Detective Essington had served with the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Police Department for only one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-F1DAA172- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Joseph. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
You barely got started.
Detective Essington gave the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Essington.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Joseph E. Essington 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 OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Police Department, 2 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph E. Essington's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph E. Essington Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph E. Essington is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
