Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff William Tainter drowned while traveling through the county, conducting investigations, and collecting taxes. He was attempting to cross Elk Creek by horse when he was washed into the sea. His body was recovered the following day. Sheriff Tainter had served with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office for 2 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-5E6433E6- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.
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
163 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Tainter gave the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Ukiah community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff William H. Tainter 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 20% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William H. Tainter's cause is highlighted.
How William H. Tainter Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William H. Tainter is highlighted in Oct.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Mendocino County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
