Joseph Henry Skrabek
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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Joseph Henry Skrabek served in the Navy (1963â1967) before joining law enforcement.
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.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Henry Skrabek's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Henry Skrabek Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Henry Skrabek is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Bureau County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.