Roll of Honor
Jerry Steven Hemphill
Incident
Police Officer Steve Hemphill died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 during a presumed exposure while on duty while providing support at a health screening checkpoint at the main campus in Gainesville, Georgia.
Officer Hemphill had served with the Lanier Technical College Police Department for three years. He had previously served with the Gainesville Police Department for 20 years, the Hall County Sheriff's Office for two years, and the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office for 11 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Police Officer Jerry Steven Hemphill died on January 16, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 59.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
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 two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-5DBDC172- 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.
Police Officer Hemphill gave the Lanier Technical College Police Department 38 years.
Thank you for your service to the Gainesville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Hemphill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Jerry Steven Hemphill 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 GA, 63 of 903 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jerry Steven Hemphill's cause is highlighted.
How Jerry Steven Hemphill Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Jerry Steven Hemphill is highlighted in Jan.