Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Bill Shibley died as a result of contracting COVID-19 while assigned to a community event at the Fort Smith Civic Center at 55 S. 7th Street in Fort Smith.
Sergeant Shibley had served with the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office for over 22 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Sergeant William Shibley died on January 31, 2022 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 60.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three children, four granddaughters, and nine grandsons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-6CDDFCCA- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Sergeant Shibley gave the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office 22 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Smith community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Shibley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant William Shibley is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In AR, 17 of 372 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.6% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Shibley's cause is highlighted.
How William Shibley Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. William Shibley is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Sebastian County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
