End of Watch October 9, 2021
Age 51
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 177 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Director Scott Ritchey drowned while attempting to save his daughter, who was caught in a riptide off Playa Las Golondrinas Beach in Isabela, Puerto Rico.

His daughter and another swimmer were rescued.

Deputy Director Ritchey was a United States Army Iraq War and Afghanistan War veteran. He had served with the United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Air and Marine Operations for 14 years.

Survivors

He was survived by two daughters, a grandson, the mother of his children, and a half-sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-E990E9D4
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 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 Director Ritchey gave the United States Department of Homeland Security 14 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdhscbpamofed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 9, 2021
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Scott Densmore Ritchey served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Director Scott Densmore Ritchey is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 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 32 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Air and Marine Operations, 5 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55.6% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Air and Marine Operations
5
of 9 officers
55.6% Accident
DC — Statewide
454
of 1,419 officers
32% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Scott Densmore Ritchey's cause is highlighted.

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

How Scott Densmore Ritchey Compares

Age at Death
51
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
14
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Scott Densmore Ritchey is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

Scott Densmore Ritchey served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit Scott Densmore Ritchey’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.