Shannon Santo Bennett
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Shannon Santo Bennett

Broward County Sheriff's Office — Fort Lauderdale, FL
Illness
End of Watch April 3, 2020
Age 39
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
The Vigil Panel 171 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Shannon Bennett died as the result of complications after contracting COVID-19 while on duty.

Deputy Bennett had served with the Broward County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and served as an SRO at Deerfield Beach Elementary School.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Deputy Sheriff Shannon Santo Bennett died on April 3, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 39.

He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 3 at Broward County Sheriff's Office.

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 fiance, mother, and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-488047FE
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

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Deputy Sheriff Bennett gave the Broward County Sheriff's Office 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Lauderdale community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Bennett.

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

Agency

Location Fort Lauderdale, FL
Platform Identity browso.broward.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 3, 2020
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

Deputy Sheriff Shannon Santo Bennett is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In FL, 81 of 1,008 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

At Broward County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 24 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.5% of this agency's fallen.

Broward County Sheriff's Office
3
of 24 officers
12.5% Illness
FL — Statewide
81
of 1,008 officers
8% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Shannon Santo Bennett'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 Shannon Santo Bennett Compares

Age at End of Watch
39
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
12
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Shannon Santo Bennett is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location