Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Charles Lankford suffered a fatal heart attack while attempting to break up a fight between four men at the county's annual Fireman's Carnival.
Deputy Lankford had served with the Caroline County Sheriff's Office for 13 years and had previously served with the Maryland Marine Police.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two children, and five grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MD-6AFB80FC- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Lankford gave the Caroline County Sheriff's Office 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Denton 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
Charles H. Lankford served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Charles H. Lankford 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 MD, 22 of 377 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 5.8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles H. Lankford's cause is highlighted.
How Charles H. Lankford Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Charles H. Lankford is highlighted in Jul.