Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Wesley Whitmore was struck and killed by a vehicle in the parking lot of a convenience store in Winter Haven.
The elderly driver of an SUV traveling on an adjacent roadway lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed through a metal barrier, struck a woman and business, then traveled through a parking lot and struck Sergeant Whitmore's patrol car. The impact pushed the patrol car into the sergeant, who had just exited it.
Sergeant Whitmore was a United States Air Force veteran and had served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office for 15 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three sons, one daughter, ten grandchildren, his mother, and one sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-C79439D5- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Wesley. Claim this record.
Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Air Force, salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 3 gates. Wesley is one person.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
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.
Sergeant Whitmore gave the Polk County Sheriff's Office 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Winter Haven community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr. served in the U.S. Army (1967â1970) before joining law enforcement.
Sergeant Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr. 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 FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Polk County Sheriff's Department, 9 of 18 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr. is highlighted in Dec.
Military Service
Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr. served in the U.S. Army (1967–1970) before joining law enforcement.
Visit Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr.’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
17 officers from Polk County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
