John Henry Powell
Agency patch
Trooper

John Henry Powell

Indiana State Police — Indianapolis, IN
Accident
End of Watch February 27, 1959
Age 27
Tour of Duty 4 yrs 2 mo
The Vigil Panel 94 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper John Powell was struck and killed by a vehicle one mile south of State Road 16 on U.S. 41 near Kentland in Newton County. Trooper Powell and several other troopers were setting out an electronic speed timing device at about 9:30 pm. As Trooper Powell was leaning over the pavement, a 17-year-old driver who was passing another vehicle struck Trooper Powell over the head, killing him instantly. Trooper Powell had served with the Indiana State Police for over four years and was assigned to the Kentland post.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three children, brother, four sisters and parents.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-08B3E22B
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Powell gave the Indiana State Police 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Indiana. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Powell.

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

Agency

Location Indianapolis, IN
Platform Identity insp.in.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 27, 1959
Tour of Duty 4 yrs 2 mo
Age 27
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Trooper John Henry Powell 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 IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At Indiana State Police, 23 of 46 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Indiana State Police
23
of 46 officers
50% Accident
IN — Statewide
151
of 503 officers
30% 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. John Henry Powell'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 John Henry Powell Compares

Age at End of Watch
27
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
4.2
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Henry Powell is highlighted in Feb.

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