Joseph Gibbs Cooper

Greensboro Police Department — Greensboro, NC

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch August 23, 1970

Age 23

The Vigil Panel 107 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 13

Incident

Officer Joseph Cooper succumbed to injuries sustained one week earlier in an automobile crash on East Lee Street, west of Arlington Street, while involved in a vehicle pursuit at about 3:30 am. The patrol car he was a passenger in struck a utility pole at the intersection of Lee Street and Springs Street. Officer Cooper was a U.S. Navy veteran.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NC-0C15FFA1
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Joseph is one person.

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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.
Officer Cooper served with the Greensboro Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Greensboro 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

Department Greensboro Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Greensboro, Guilford County, NC

Platform Identity greepd.guilford.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 23, 1970

Age 23

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Weapon Automobile

Military Service

Joseph Gibbs Cooper served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Joseph Gibbs Cooper is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen. That is 30.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Greensboro Police Department, 6 of 14 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Greensboro Police Department

of 14 officers

42.9% Accident

NC — Statewide

205

of 664 officers

30.9% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident