Roll of Honor
William Hayes
Incident
Location: Missouri Incident Date: Monday, November 15, 2021
Deportation Officer Billy Hayes died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty in Springfield, Missouri.
Officer Hayes had served with several federal law enforcement agencies in his 24-year career.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Deportation Officer William Hayes died on January 3, 2022 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 52.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 13 at United States Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Office of Enforcement and Removal 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.
Survivors
He is survived by his two children, his parents, and the mother of his children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-D4FA8A97- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Deportation Officer Hayes gave the United States Department of Homeland Security 24 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deportation Officer Hayes.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deportation Officer William Hayes is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 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 0.6 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At United States Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, 13 of 15 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 86.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Hayes's cause is highlighted.
How William Hayes Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. William Hayes is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from United States Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations are honored on badge.nw.
