Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

Joseph Patrick Mitchell

Eureka Police Department — Eureka, CA

Accident

End of Watch December 1, 1974

Age 26

The Vigil Panel 114 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 2

Incident

Officer Mitchell was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a burglar alarm call. During the response the vehicle he was riding in struck another car that ran a stop sign. Officer Mitchell and the officer he was responding with were both off duty but were responding because all of the on duty officers were involved in controlling a riot in another part of the city.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-926DBD07
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.
Police Officer Mitchell served with the Eureka Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Eureka community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Mitchell.

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

Agency

Department Eureka Police Department

Type Other

Location Eureka, Humboldt County, CA

Platform Identity epd.humboldt.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 1, 1974

Age 26

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Police Officer Joseph Patrick Mitchell is one of 10,094 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,586 officers honored here.

In CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Eureka Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Eureka Police Department

of 3 officers

66.7% Accident

CA — Statewide

719

of 1,837 officers

39.1% Accident

Nationwide

10,094

of 32,586 officers

31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Patrick Mitchell's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

17,559 (53.9%)

Accident

10,094 (31%)

Illness

3,037 (9.3%)

Cardiac

1,306 (4%)

Undetermined

334 (1%)

Suicide

256 (0.8%)

How Joseph Patrick Mitchell Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Patrick Mitchell is highlighted in Dec.

Jan

820

Feb

730

Mar

748

Apr

708

May

848

Jun

797

Jul

899

Aug

937

Sep

913

Oct

925

Nov

872

Dec

897

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Eureka Police Department are honored on badge.nw.

Detective

Charles Dewane Swanson