Roll of Honor
Ben C. Collins
Incident
Officer Ben Collins was shot and killed in Oklahoma by a hitman in retribution for the shooting of an armed fugitive. Officer Collins' murder happened in front of his home and was witnessed by his wife. The suspect, famous outlaw and assassin Jim Miller, was arrested in 1909 for another murder and hung by a lynch mob, along with three other men. The mob had broken into the jail to lynch the murderer of Marshal Zeke Putnam, of the Allen, Oklahoma, Police Department. Miller was a cousin by marriage of the suspect that killed Deputy Sheriff John Turman in 1898. Two of Officer Collins' nephews were also shot and killed in the line of duty while serving as police officers in Oklahoma. Patrolman Jim Keirsey, of the Seminole Police Department, was shot and killed on November 7, 1929, and Deputy William Keirsey, of the Carter County Sheriff's Department, was shot and killed on December 10, 1930. Officer Collins is buried in Garden of Memory Cemetery, Colbert, Bryan County, Oklahoma.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-131D2B3D- 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.
Police Officer Collins served with the United States Department of the Interior.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Collins.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Ben C. Collins 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 DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services, 45 of 52 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 86.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ben C. Collins's cause is highlighted.
How Ben C. Collins Compares
Offender Outcome
Hung in 1909
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ben C. Collins is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Ben C. Collins was killed by shotgun; 8 gauge.
Others Who Wore This Badge
51 officers from United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
