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Deputy Sheriff

Paul Emerson Baker

Yamhill County Sheriff's Office — McMinnville, OR

Accident Veteran

End of Watch January 22, 1982

Age 53

Tour of Duty 24 yrs

The Vigil Panel 125 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Paul Baker succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when his patrol truck was struck by another vehicle on Highway 99 near McMinnville. At 3:30 p.m., while traveling on the bridge, crossing the Yamhill River, a truck slipped on the rain-slick road and struck his vehicle head-on. Deputy Baker was a United States Navy Korean War veteran and served with the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office for five years. He previously served with the California Highway Patrol for 17 years and the Hawthorne, California, Police Department for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, five daughters, and a brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-OR-1A3F326A
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.
Deputy Sheriff Baker gave the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office 24 years.
Thank you for your service to the McMinnville 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 Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

Location McMinnville, OR

Platform Identity ycso.yamhill.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 22, 1982

Tour of Duty 24 yrs

Age 53

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Paul Emerson Baker served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Deputy Sheriff Paul Emerson Baker 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 OR, 66 of 197 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.5% of this state's fallen. That is 2.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

of 1 officers

100% Accident

OR — Statewide

of 197 officers

33.5% 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. Paul Emerson Baker'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 Paul Emerson Baker Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

Years of Service