Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Leslie Lentz died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in a presumed exposure while on duty at the Ozark Correctional Center in Fordland, Missouri.
Lieutenant Lentz had served with the Missouri Department of Corrections for 23 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Lieutenant Leslie Lee Lentz died on July 1, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 63.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 8 at Missouri Department of Corrections.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-73CDAE48- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Lieutenant Lentz gave the Missouri Department of Corrections 23 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Missouri. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Lentz.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Leslie Lee Lentz is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 26 of 813 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.2% of this state's fallen. That is 5.9 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Missouri Department of Corrections, 8 of 20 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Leslie Lee Lentz's cause is highlighted.
How Leslie Lee Lentz Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Leslie Lee Lentz is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
19 officers from Missouri Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
