Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Joseph Ossman and Deputy Sheriff Julie Bridges, of the Hardee County Sheriff's Office, were killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 66 and Old Crewsville Road, in Zolfo Springs, at approximately 6:45 am.
Both officers had been required to stay in the county despite mandatory evacuations due to Hurricane Irma. Deputy Bridges was picking up supplies for a hurricane shelter when her patrol car collided head-on with Sergeant Ossman's vehicle. Sergeant Ossman was reporting for his shift at the Hardee Correctional Institution, which remained opened despite the evacuation.
Sergeant Ossman had served with the Florida Department of Corrections for 21 years and was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
Survivors
He was survived by his son, step-son, brother and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-BF3313EC- 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.
Sergeant Ossman gave the Florida Department of Corrections 21 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
Joseph Ossman served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Joseph Ossman is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Florida Department of Corrections, 9 of 33 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Ossman's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Ossman Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Ossman is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
32 officers from Florida Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
