Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman W. Edwin Miller drowned while pursuing an escaped prisoner.
At approximately 10:00 pm, Patrolman Miller was pursuing a suspect that had escaped from the police station. The chase brought Patrolman Miller to the wharf where he pursued the suspect onto a tow boat which was docked on the Wolf River. During the chase, Patrolman Miller jumped to an adjacent boat, lost his footing, fell into the river, and drowned.
Patrolman Miller had served with the Memphis Police Department for seven years.
At approximately 10:00 pm, Patrolman Miller was pursuing a suspect that had escaped from the police station. The chase brought Patrolman Miller to the wharf where he pursued the suspect onto a tow boat which was docked on the Wolf River. During the chase, Patrolman Miller jumped to an adjacent boat, lost his footing, fell into the river, and drowned.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-5718C7DF- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Miller gave the Memphis Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Memphis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Miller.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman W. Edwin Miller 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 TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Memphis Police Department, 25 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. Edwin Miller's cause is highlighted.
How W. Edwin Miller Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. W. Edwin Miller is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from Memphis Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
