James Robert Snedigar
Officer

James Robert Snedigar

Chandler Police Dept. — Chandler, AZ
Felonious
End of Watch April 16, 1999
Age 38
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
The Vigil Panel 146 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer James Snedigar was shot and killed while performing a SWAT raid on armed robbery suspects at 1100 N. Priest Drive.

The suspects had been chased to an apartment complex after robbing a jewelry store in Tempe, Arizona. They then forced their way into an apartment and holed up. The SWAT team tossed stun grenades into the apartment but were met by gunfire as they entered. Officer Snedigar, who was the point man and was wearing body armor, was shot in the face just inside the doorway.

Other officers returned fire, killing one of the suspects, who was also wearing a bulletproof vest.

Officer Snedigar had served with the Chandler Police Department for five years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, son, two daughters, and grandson.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-8887D2D5
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Snedigar gave the Chandler Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chandler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Snedigar.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Chandler, AZ
Platform Identity cpd.maricopa.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 16, 1999
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Officer James Robert Snedigar is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In AZ, 204 of 330 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.8% of this state's fallen. That is 7.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Chandler Police Dept., 4 of 7 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.1% of this agency's fallen.

Chandler Police Dept.
4
of 7 officers
57.1% Felonious
AZ — Statewide
204
of 330 officers
61.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Robert Snedigar's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How James Robert Snedigar Compares

Age at End of Watch
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Robert Snedigar is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location