Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Joseph Stevens was shot and killed by the chief deputy in a case of mistaken identity.
They were conducting surveillance along the Southern Railroad tracks in Burnsville in an attempt to identify a group of men who had sabotaged the tracks the previous night. The men had placed railroad ties across the tracks in an attempt to wreck Southern Railroad's passenger train No. 27.
The two were supposed to be approximately one-half mile apart during the surveillance. As Deputy Stevens stepped from some bushes 30 yards away the chief deputy mistook him for an armed suspect. Not recognizing him, the chief deputy called out and then fired when he failed to receive a response. The blast fatally wounded Deputy Stevens.
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BO-US-AL-C1B2D9DF- Stewardship
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- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Stevens served with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Selma community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Stevens.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Joseph P. Stevens 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 AL, 182 of 643 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.3% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Dallas County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph P. Stevens's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph P. Stevens Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph P. Stevens is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Dallas County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
