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Steven Harold Downing
Patrol Officer

Steven Harold Downing

Gallatin Police Department — Gallatin, TN
Cardiac
United States flag Tennessee flag
End of Watch April 12, 1985
Age 38
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
The Vigil Panel 129 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Officer Steven Downing suffered a fatal heart attack while attempting to rescue the occupants of a capsized boat in Old Hickory Lake. Officer Downing was off duty doing yard work when a fellow officer drove by and asked for his assistance in the rescue. Despite Officer Downing's heart attack, the occupants of the boat were successfully rescued. Officer Downing had served with the Gallatin Police Department for seven years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a grandson.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-3E732520
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrol Officer Downing gave the Gallatin Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Gallatin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrol Officer Downing.

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

Agency

Department Gallatin Police Department
Type Other
Location Gallatin, Sumner County, TN
Platform Identity gpd.sumner.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 12, 1985
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Patrol Officer Steven Harold Downing is one of 1 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TN, 37 of 769 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.8% of this state's fallen. That is 4.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Gallatin Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Cardiac
TN — Statewide
37
of 769 officers
4.8% Cardiac
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Cardiac

National Cause Distribution

How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Steven Harold Downing's cause is highlighted.

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

How Steven Harold Downing Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Cardiac: 48.6 years
Years of Service
7
This officer
Avg for Cardiac: 15.6 years

When Cardiac Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Steven Harold Downing is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
124
Feb
105
Mar
99
Apr
116
May
115
Jun
95
Jul
94
Aug
104
Sep
109
Oct
121
Nov
113
Dec
111

Others Who Wore This Badge

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