Maurice Che'valier Ford
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Maurice Che'valier Ford

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office — West Palm Beach, FL
Illness
End of Watch August 27, 2020
Age 50
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 172 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Maurice Ford died after contracting COVID-19 during an outbreak among staff and inmate at the West Detention Center at 38811 James Wheeler Way in Belle Glade.

Deputy Ford had served with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office for 14 years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Deputy Sheriff Maurice Che'valier Ford died on August 27, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.

He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 5 at Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

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 wife and son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-CEC06F7E
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.
Deputy Sheriff Ford gave the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the West Palm Beach community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Ford.

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

Agency

Location West Palm Beach, FL
Platform Identity pbcso.palmbeach.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 27, 2020
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
Age 50
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Deputy Sheriff Maurice Che'valier Ford 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 FL, 81 of 1,008 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

At Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 23 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 21.7% of this agency's fallen.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
5
of 23 officers
21.7% Illness
FL — Statewide
81
of 1,008 officers
8% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Maurice Che'valier Ford's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Maurice Che'valier Ford Compares

Age at End of Watch
50
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
14
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Maurice Che'valier Ford is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location