Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy James Cook was killed in an accident while responding to a domestic violence call. As Deputy Cook was responding, a deer struck the front of his cruiser causing his vehicle's airbag to inflate and obstruct his view. Deputy Cook's vehicle ran off the roadway, struck several trees and killed him instantly. Deputy Cook had served with the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents and three siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-4651C74F- 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 James. 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Cook gave the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Clinton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Cook.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff James William Cook is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James William Cook's cause is highlighted.
How James William Cook Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James William Cook is highlighted in Oct.