Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy John Anderson was killed when he fell several hundred feet down Sabino Canyon after rescuing a lost hiker. A boy was stranded on a narrow ledge. Deputy Anderson repelled down the cliff's edge, tied a rope to the boy's waist, and the boy was pulled to safety. When Deputy Anderson began his climb upward, he lost his grip and fell 900 feet into the pool of water wedged between two boulders. He was recovered eight hours later. Deputy Anderson had been with the Pima County Sheriff's Department for 10.5 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, parents, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-7A6DF98B- 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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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Anderson gave the Pima County Sheriff's Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tucson community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Anderson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John D. Anderson 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 Pima County Sheriff's Department, 5 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 45.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John D. Anderson's cause is highlighted.
How John D. Anderson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John D. Anderson is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Pima County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
