Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant John Reynolds died of complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in a confirmed exposure while on duty.
Lieutenant Reynolds had served with the Garden Grove Police Department for 25 years and had previously served with the Orange County Probation Department for nine years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Lieutenant John Edward Reynolds died on January 17, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 59.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-FC2540E2- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Lieutenant Reynolds gave the Garden Grove Police Department 34 years.
Thank you for your service to the Garden Grove community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Reynolds.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant John Edward Reynolds is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 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 4.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Garden Grove Police Department, 1 of 6 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Edward Reynolds's cause is highlighted.
How John Edward Reynolds Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. John Edward Reynolds is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Garden Grove Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
