Roll of Honor
Michael Lee Staples
Incident
Officer Michael Staples was killed when his patrol vehicle collided with a deer that had just been struck by another vehicle on County Road 27, near County Road 20, in Beltrami County, Minnesota at 7:30 a.m.
After being struck by the first vehicle, the deer was thrown into the air and went through the windshield of Officer Staples' patrol truck. He was on patrol in the Chippewa National Forest's Cass Ranger District near Bemidji at the time.
Officer Staples was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the U.S. Forest Service for 8 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-29D3D081- 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 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 Staples gave the United States Department of Agriculture 8 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Michael Lee Staples served in the Air Force (1987â1990) before joining law enforcement.
Officer Michael Lee Staples 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 DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, 3 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Lee Staples's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Lee Staples Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Lee Staples is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations are honored on badge.nw.
