Joseph W. Herzog
Agency patch
Patrolman

Joseph W. Herzog

Austin Police Department — Austin, MN
Accident
End of Watch July 1, 1945
Age 51
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
The Vigil Panel 81 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Joseph Herzog was struck and killed by a vehicle while directing traffic at an accident scene at the intersection of Kenwood Avenue and Myrtle Street at 2:15 am. Although he was using a flashlight and the red lights on the patrol car and a tow truck were on, a vehicle entered the area and struck him at approximately 45 mph. The driver claimed she thought the lights were from a nearby business sign. No charges were filed. Patrolman Herzog had served with the Austin Police Department for nine years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-9D34663D
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Herzog gave the Austin Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Herzog.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Austin, MN
Platform Identity apd.mower.mn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 1, 1945
Tour of Duty 9 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Patrolman Joseph W. Herzog 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 MN, 84 of 293 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

Austin Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
MN — Statewide
84
of 293 officers
28.7% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph W. Herzog's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Joseph W. Herzog Compares

Age at End of Watch
51
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
9
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph W. Herzog is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897