Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Hawthorne was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a three-alarm fire at St. Martin's School. During the response his patrol vehicle collided with a truck at the intersection of Shelby and Jefferson Streets and burst into flames. He was trapped inside of the vehicle and received fatal burns.
Survivors
Patrolman Hawthorne had served with the Louisville Police Department for five years and was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-ECD33C9D- 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 Hawthorne gave the Louisville Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Louisville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Hawthorne.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John Harlan Hawthorne 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. John Harlan Hawthorne's cause is highlighted.
How John Harlan Hawthorne Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Harlan Hawthorne is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
90 officers from Louisville Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
