Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff John O'Leary died as a result of rheumatism of the heart after becoming ill during the search for the murderer of Detective Frank Campbell and Sergeant John Brame, of the Fresno Police Department.
At the time of the murders, Deputy O'Leary was on sick leave with a case of the flu but refused to stay home. He reported for duty to help officers with the search for the killer. As a result, he became even more ill.
On March 31st, 1931, he and another deputy were returning to Fresno after transporting two prisoners to San Quentin Prison. They had stayed at the Pickwick Hotel, at 85 5th Street in San Francisco, and were preparing to leave for Fresno when Deputy O'Leary suddenly collapsed in front of the building.
Deputy O'Leary had served in law enforcement for almost 20 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-4A7E4EA8- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff O'Leary gave the Fresno County Sheriff's Office 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Fresno community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff O'Leary.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John J. O'Leary 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 CA, 75 of 1,837 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.1% of this state's fallen. That is 5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Fresno County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 15 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 20% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John J. O'Leary's cause is highlighted.
How John J. O'Leary Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. John J. O'Leary is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Fresno County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
