Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman James Purdon was killed in a fire at a photographic supply company in the 400 block of West Jefferson Street, as he attempted to rescue residents who lived in apartments above the supply company. Patrolman Purdon made his way to the upper floors in an attempt to rescue the residents, but was over come by smoke and died in the fire.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-5B4ACB1A- 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.
Patrolman Purdon served with the Louisville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Louisville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Purdon.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman James H. Purdon 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 Louisville Police Department, 34 of 91 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James H. Purdon's cause is highlighted.
How James H. Purdon Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James H. Purdon is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
90 officers from Louisville Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
