Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Joe Jenkins was shot and killed with his own service weapon while struggling with an intoxicated subject. Chief Jenkins was at home when he was awakened by a noise at 1:00 am after two men stopped a car in front of his house to drink. He placed the men under arrest and then asked a passerby to cover them so he could return to his home to dress before taking the prisoners to jail. As he turned around, one of the drunk men turned the car on, prompting Chief Jenkins to retrieve his gun and confront the man. A struggle ensued in which the man disarmed Chief Jenkins and then shot him. The suspect was lynched by an angry mob on October 1st, 1930, after being taken from the county jail. Chief Jenkins had served with the Cartersville Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by his wife and nine children. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and nine children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-GA-5F8F62FA- Stewardship
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- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Jenkins gave the Cartersville Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cartersville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Jenkins.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Joe Ben Jenkins is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In GA, 548 of 903 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joe Ben Jenkins's cause is highlighted.
How Joe Ben Jenkins Compares
Offender Outcome
Lynched by mob
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Joe Ben Jenkins is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Joe Ben Jenkins was killed by officer's handgun.