Rickie Allen Groves
Agency patch
Major

Rickie Allen Groves

Kennett Police Department — Kennett, MO
Illness
End of Watch October 16, 2020
Age 69
Tour of Duty 36 yrs
The Vigil Panel 173 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Major Rickie Groves died after contracting COVID-19 during a presumed exposure at the Kennett Police Department.

Major Groves had served with the Kennett Police Department for 35 years.

Major Groves had served with the Kennett Police Department for 35 years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Major Rickie Allen Groves died on October 16, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 69.

He is one of 884 officers honored here.

Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.

Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.

Survivors

He is survived by his five children. He is survived by his five children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-58EC93D9
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Major Groves gave the Kennett Police Department 36 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kennett community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Major Groves.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Kennett, Dunklin County, MO
Platform Identity kpd.dunklin.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 16, 2020
Tour of Duty 36 yrs
Age 69
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

Major Rickie Allen Groves is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In MO, 26 of 813 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.2% of this state's fallen. That is 3.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Kennett Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Illness
MO — Statewide
26
of 813 officers
3.2% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rickie Allen Groves's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Rickie Allen Groves Compares

Age at Death
69
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
36
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Rickie Allen Groves is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Kennett Police Department are honored on badge.nw.