Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Gerald Barnes and two other deputies were in the agency's Piper Tri-Pacer plane when it crashed into the Arizona Canal on the Salt River Reservation, seven miles northeast of Scottsdale. The deputies were conducting an aeriel search for a stolen vehicle when it struck a power line across the canal. The plane landed upside down in four-feet of water in the canal. Nearby farmers who witnessed the crash were able to rescue teh other deputies but were unable to remove Sergeant Barnes, who was trapped in the rear seat of the plane. Sergeant Barnes was a WWII veteran and had served with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for six years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three daughters, son, and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-3E31D825- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw. One record, 2 gates. Gerald is one person.
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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.
Sergeant Barnes gave the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix 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
Gerald Barnes served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Sergeant Gerald Barnes is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 28.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, 10 of 28 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gerald Barnes's cause is highlighted.
How Gerald Barnes Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gerald Barnes is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Military Service
Gerald Barnes served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit Gerald Barnes’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
27 officers from Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
