Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Ernest Ricks suffered a fatal heart attack while performing a physical fitness test at the police department's academy.
Other officers immediately began to administer CPR after he collapsed. He was transported to Hadley Memorial Hospital where he passed away the following day.
Officer Ricks was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for only six months.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-DC-5E0E3164- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Ricks served with the Metropolitan Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Washington community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Ernest Carlyle Ricks, III served in the Army (1976â1979) before joining law enforcement.
Officer Ernest Carlyle Ricks, III is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 71 of 1,419 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 5% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Metropolitan Police Department, 5 of 131 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ernest Carlyle Ricks, III's cause is highlighted.
How Ernest Carlyle Ricks, III Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Ernest Carlyle Ricks, III is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
130 officers from Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
