Roll of Honor

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Officer

Joseph Paul Sanders

California Highway Patrol — Sacramento, CA

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch December 15, 2008

Age 29

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 2 mo

Badge 18781

The Vigil Panel 157 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 232

Incident

Officer Joseph Sanders was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle while he was directing traffic at the scene of a previous accident on the Pomona Freeway in Hacienda Heights.

The vehicle that struck him had collided with another car on the rain-slicked highway at approximately 4:20 am. Officer Sanders was flown to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect pled guilty to involuntary vehicular manslaughter in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Officer Sanders was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the California Highway Patrol for 14 months. He was survived by his expectant wife and three sons. His daughter was born on June 3rd, 2009.

Survivors

He was survived by his expectant wife and three sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-960F1251
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Joseph. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. 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 Sanders gave the California Highway Patrol 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department California Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Sacramento, CA

Platform Identity chp.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 15, 2008

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 2 mo

Age 29

Badge Number 18781

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Joseph Paul Sanders served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Officer Joseph Paul Sanders 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 39.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At California Highway Patrol, 151 of 233 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 64.8% of this agency's fallen.

California Highway Patrol

151

of 233 officers

64.8% Accident

CA — Statewide

719

of 1,837 officers

39.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident