Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Giddens was shot and killed after being abducted by three robbery suspects. Chief Giddens had stopped a vehicle that was speeding. Unbeknownst to him, the three suspects had just committed an armed robbery in Adel, Georgia. After abducting the chief, the suspects drove around trying to figure out what to do. The told Chief Giddens they were going to let him go and that he had to swim into a river so they had time to drive away. As he followed their instructions and swam away one of the men shot him in the back with his own service weapon. The suspect then entered the water and shot him several more times. The three suspects were eventually apprehended. The shooter was executed on May 18, 1989. A second suspect died in prison in 1978. Chief Giddens had only been with the agency for one year and had also served as a Lowndes County Sheriff's Department prior to becoming chief. The night he was killed was supposed to be his last night with the department as he had turned in his resignation.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-GA-D83C1241- 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
You barely got started.
Chief of Police Giddens gave the Ray City Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Ray City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Giddens.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police James Edward Giddens 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. James Edward Giddens's cause is highlighted.
How James Edward Giddens Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1989
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Edward Giddens is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Edward Giddens was killed by officer's handgun.