Roll of Honor
Vernell Brown, Jr.
Incident
Police Officer Vernell Brown succumbed to injuries sustained five days earlier when he was struck by a car on U.S. 90, on the I-10 East split, while investigating a separate car fire.
He was training two police recruits at the scene of the vehicle fire when two other vehicles were involved in a crash on the adjacent roadway. One of the vehicles veered off the road and struck Officer Brown. He was transported to a local hospital where he remained in a coma until succumbing to his injuries.
The driver who caused the crash plead guilty to negligent homicide. At the request of Officer Brown's family, the driver was sentenced to five years probation in lieu of a jail sentence.
Officer Brown was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the New Orleans Police Department for 17 years.
Survivors
Officer Brown is survived by five children and his fiancee.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-LA-C5998093- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Brown gave the New Orleans Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the New Orleans community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Vernell Brown, Jr. served in the Air Force (2001â2002) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Vernell Brown, Jr. 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 LA, 180 of 595 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.3% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At New Orleans Police Department, 35 of 128 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Vernell Brown, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Vernell Brown, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Vernell Brown, Jr. is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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