Joseph Henry Skrabek
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Joseph Henry Skrabek

Accident Veteran →
End of Watch March 27, 1977
Age 32
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 118 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Joseph Skrabek was killed on a rainy morning when he and the driver of a truck hit head-on while driving on U.S. 6, three miles west of Princeton, Illinois. A 19-year-old female deputy with him was injured. The other driver, 43 years old, was also killed. Deputy Skrabek was a United States Navy Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Bureau County Sheriff's Department for six years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-CD265642
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

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Skrabek gave the Bureau County Sheriff's Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Princeton community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Location Princeton, IL
Platform Identity bcso.bureau.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 27, 1977
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 32
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Joseph Henry Skrabek served in the Navy (1963–1967) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Joseph Henry Skrabek 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%.

At Bureau County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Bureau County Sheriff's Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Henry Skrabek'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 Joseph Henry Skrabek Compares

Age at End of Watch
32
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Henry Skrabek is highlighted in Mar.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Bureau County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.