Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff James Judd and Deputy Sheriff John Kennedy were killed in an automobile accident while transporting a prisoner from Saginaw, Michigan, to Birmingham, Alabama. The accident 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, crashed into an embankment before going into a stream of 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 Judd had served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for 22 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, son, sister and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AL-EFC06D82- 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
22 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Judd gave the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Birmingham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Judd.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff James Felton Judd 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. James Felton Judd's cause is highlighted.
How James Felton Judd Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Felton Judd 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.
