Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Ralph Baker drowned after his cruiser was washed into a flooded river while he was searching for a stolen vehicle. He was attempting to cross a low water bridge which was covered with water. After the cruiser was washed into the creek it flipped over trapping him inside. He was found still in his seatbelt. Sheriff Baker had been employed with the Madison County Sheriff's Department for 27 years, 25 of which as the sheriff.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-080C78E3- 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
27 years. You could have gone home.
Sheriff Baker gave the Madison County Sheriff's Office 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff Baker.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff Ralph Francis 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 AR, 92 of 372 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Madison County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ralph Francis Baker's cause is highlighted.
How Ralph Francis Baker Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ralph Francis Baker is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Madison County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
