Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer James Sticklen suffered a fatal heart attack as the result of injuries he sustained earlier in the week after being kicked in the leg while restraining a juvenile.
He was attending a crisis intervention course in Corbin, Kentucky, and had complained of pain in his leg where he was kicked. As he prepared for another session in the course he suffered a pulmonary embolism when a blood clot broke free from his injured leg. He was transported to Baptist Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Sticklen had served with the Alexandria Police Department for 19 years and had previously served with the Brooksville Police Department and Maysville Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-E23424A0- 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.
Police Officer Sticklen gave the Alexandria Police Department 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Alexandria community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Sticklen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer James Philip "Stumpy" Sticklen is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In KY, 44 of 983 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.5 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Philip "Stumpy" Sticklen's cause is highlighted.
How James Philip "Stumpy" Sticklen Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. James Philip "Stumpy" Sticklen is highlighted in Mar.