Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper James McNeely and Patrol Officer David Childs of the Kentucky Water Patrol drowned while participating in a flood rescue mission in Franklin County, Kentucky. They were searching for two missing juveniles when their boat went over Dam 4. Trooper McNeely had served with the Kentucky State Police for 16 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-417D45DF- 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 McNeely gave the Kentucky State Police 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Kentucky. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper McNeely.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper James Willard McNeely 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 KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 14.6 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At KY State Police, 16 of 29 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Willard McNeely's cause is highlighted.
How James Willard McNeely Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Willard McNeely is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
28 officers from KY State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
