Roll of Honor
Joe William Heddy, Jr.
Incident
Correctional Officer Joe Heddy suffered a fatal heart attack at the Escambia County Road Prison in Cantonment, Florida, after struggling with an inmate at approximately 1:00 pm.
He had responded to a cell in the South Wing dorm after an inmate tied a bedsheet around his own neck and was tightening it in an attempt to commit suicide. He called for assistance and began to struggle with the inmate in an attempt to remove the bedsheet. The inmate continued to resist until officers were able to remove the bedsheet and subdue him.
Officer Heddy then packed up the inmate's belongings before calling for assistance on the radio and collapsing. Other officers initiated CPR but were unable to resuscitate him. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Heddy was a U.S. Air Force veteran. He had served with the Escambia County Department of Corrections for eight years after having retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons with 20 years of service.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-A9ED58D6- 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.
Correctional Officer Heddy gave the Escambia County Department of Corrections 28 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Florida. 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
Joe William Heddy, Jr. served in the Army (1972â1977) before joining law enforcement.
Correctional Officer Joe William Heddy, Jr. 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 FL, 62 of 1,008 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 6.2% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joe William Heddy, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Joe William Heddy, Jr. Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Joe William Heddy, Jr. is highlighted in Jun.