Alan Ira Reffsin
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Alan Ira Reffsin

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office — Fort Pierce, FL
Cardiac
End of Watch January 31, 2023
Age 65
Tour of Duty 39 yrs
The Vigil Panel 181 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Alan Reffsin suffered a fatal heart attack after conducting an outer perimeter check of the St Lucie County Courthouse at 218 S. 2nd Street in Fort Pierce.

On January 30, Deputy Reffsin arrested a combative subject at the courthouse. The next day, after patrolling the courthouse, he appeared pale and unsteady, reporting that he did not feel well. Despite lifesaving efforts by emergency personnel, Deputy Reffsin was unable to be resuscitated and passed away at the Lawnwood Regional Hospital.

Deputy Reffsin had served with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office for 18 years and previously served with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department for 21 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three children, and five grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-FD6F8B27
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.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Alan. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

39 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Reffsin gave the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office 39 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Pierce community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Reffsin.

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

Agency

Location Fort Pierce, FL
Platform Identity slcso.stlucie.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 31, 2023
Tour of Duty 39 yrs
Age 65
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac
Cause Detail Heart attack

Deputy Sheriff Alan Ira Reffsin 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%.

At St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 10 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 30% of this agency's fallen.

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office
3
of 10 officers
30% Cardiac
FL — Statewide
62
of 1,008 officers
6.2% Cardiac
Nationwide
1,306
of 32,508 officers
4% Cardiac

National Cause Distribution

How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Alan Ira Reffsin'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 Alan Ira Reffsin Compares

Age at End of Watch
65
This officer
Avg for Cardiac: 48.6 years
Years of Service
39
This officer
Avg for Cardiac: 15.6 years

When Cardiac Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Alan Ira Reffsin is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
124
Feb
105
Mar
99
Apr
116
May
115
Jun
95
Jul
94
Aug
104
Sep
109
Oct
121
Nov
113
Dec
111

Incident Location