Joseph Sturm

Cincinnati Police Department — Cincinnati, OH

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch March 29, 1884

Age 43

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

The Vigil Panel 8 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 105

Incident

Patrolman Joseph Sturm was accidentally shot and killed during a riot which started when a mob of angry citizens stormed the city jail in an attempt to hang a convict. The citizens were upset because the man was sentenced to 20 years for his crime instead of being sentenced to death. Approximately 10,000 citizens surrounded the courthouse and poured an accelerant down the stairs leading to an entry door where members of the Ohio National Guard were stationed after being activated the previous night. The Guardsmen opened fire on the rioters in order to push them back from the jail. Patrolman Sturm had taken a wagon into the crowd in order to aid a wounded rioter when he was struck multiple times by a second volley by the Guardsmen. Patrolman Sturm was a Civil War Veteran who served as a private in the 9th Ohio Infantry, Company E.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-OH-576E7D58
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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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.
Patrol Wagon Driver Sturm gave the Cincinnati Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Cincinnati, Hamilton County, OH

Platform Identity cincpd.hamilton.oh.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 29, 1884

Tour of Duty 4 yrs

Age 43

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Joseph Sturm served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrol Wagon Driver Joseph Sturm is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 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 32.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Cincinnati Police Department, 32 of 106 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.2% of this agency's fallen.

Cincinnati Police Department

of 106 officers

30.2% Accident

OH — Statewide

318

of 991 officers

32.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Accident