Roll of Honor
Alexander Reginald Pettiway, Jr.
Incident
Senior Detention Officer Alexander Pettiway died after contracting COVID-19 during an outbreak at the Durham County Detention Center.
Officer Pettiway had served with the Durham County Sheriff's Office for 23 years.
Officer Pettiway had served with the Durham County Sheriff's Office for 23 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Senior Detention Officer Alexander Reginald Pettiway, Jr. died on April 24, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 55.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Durham County Sheriff's Office.
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 brother and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-91ECD333- 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.
Senior Detention Officer Pettiway gave the Durham County Sheriff's Office 23 years.
Thank you for your service to the Durham community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Senior Detention Officer Pettiway.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Senior Detention Officer Alexander Reginald Pettiway, Jr. 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 NC, 37 of 664 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 5.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Durham County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 5 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. Alexander Reginald Pettiway, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Alexander Reginald Pettiway, Jr. Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Alexander Reginald Pettiway, Jr. is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Durham County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
