Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Blankenship was struck and killed by a vehicle after being involved in a minor traffic accident near Gig Harbor. He and other officers had responded to an earlier accident and Sheriff Blankenship was transporting some of the victims to a hospital. While he was driving up a hill he had trouble shifting and his car rolled back into the vehicle behind him and the bumpers became entangled. When he stepped out of his vehicle another car struck him. He was transported to Providence Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Sheriff Blankenship's brother, Sheriff Daniel Blankenship, was killed in an automobile six years earlier while serving as the Kitsap County Sheriff. Sheriff Paul Blankenship had served as Sheriff for 6 years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-C97F9572- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sheriff Blankenship gave the Kitsap County Sheriff's Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Port Orchard community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Blankenship.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Paul R. Blankenship 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 WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Kitsap County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Paul R. Blankenship's cause is highlighted.
How Paul R. Blankenship Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Paul R. Blankenship is highlighted in Dec.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Kitsap County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
