W. Edwin Miller
Agency patch
Patrolman

W. Edwin Miller

Memphis Police Department — Memphis, TN
Accident
End of Watch February 10, 1907
Age 43
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
The Vigil Panel 21 ›
Gender Male

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
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.
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

Type Police Department
Location Memphis, Shelby County, TN
Platform Identity mpd.shelby.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 10, 1907
Tour of Duty 7 yrs
Age 43
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Patrolman W. Edwin Miller is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 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 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

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.

Memphis Police Department
25
of 94 officers
26.6% Accident
TN — Statewide
191
of 769 officers
24.8% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. Edwin Miller's cause is highlighted.

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

How W. Edwin Miller Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
7
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. W. Edwin Miller is highlighted in Feb.

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