End of Watch February 24, 2021
Age 54
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
The Vigil Panel 174 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Carlos Mendoza died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty at the Pharr Cargo Facility in Pharr, Texas.

Officer Mendoza had served with the United States Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations and the legacy United States Customs Service for 22 years.

Beginning in early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country began to contract COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic. Due to the nature of their job, law enforcement officers were required to work and interact with the community even as the majority of the country was self-quarantined. As a result, hundreds of officers died from COVID-related illnesses and other complications.

Visit ODMP's COVID-19 memorial listing every officer who has died as a result of a confirmed or presumed exposure.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Officer Carlos C. Mendoza died on February 24, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 54.

He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 29 at United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations.

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.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-88B4A054
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.
Officer Mendoza gave the United States Department of Homeland Security 22 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Mendoza.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdhscbpofofed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 24, 2021
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Age 54
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Officer Carlos C. Mendoza 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 DC, 137 of 1,419 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.7% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, 30 of 39 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 76.9% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations
30
of 39 officers
76.9% Illness
DC — Statewide
137
of 1,419 officers
9.7% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Carlos C. Mendoza's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Carlos C. Mendoza Compares

Age at Death
54
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
22
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Carlos C. Mendoza is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location