Roll of Honor
John Henry Kennedy, Jr.
Incident
Deputy Sheriff John Kennedy and Deputy Sheriff James Judd were killed in an automobile crash while transporting a prisoner from Saginaw, Michigan, to Birmingham, Alabama. The crash occurred on I-69 near Auburn, Indiana, as their unmarked car was traveling southbound and struck a construction barrier. Their vehicle then went out of control and hit an embankment before going into a stream on the east side of the highway, killing both deputies instantly. The prisoner had been charged with drug possession and was thrown from the vehicle in the accident but survived. Deputy Kennedy was a United States Coast Guard and Army National Guard veteran and had served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for 21 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two sons, and a sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-C15B2F1B- 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 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.
Deputy Sheriff Kennedy gave the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office 21 years.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham community, and 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
John Henry Kennedy, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff John Henry Kennedy, Jr. 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 AL, 182 of 643 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.3% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, 8 of 24 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Henry Kennedy, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How John Henry Kennedy, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Henry Kennedy, Jr. is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
23 officers from Jefferson County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
