Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Michael Lee died after contracting COVID-19 during a presumed exposure while on duty.
Officer Lee had served with the Navajo Division of Public Safety for 29 years and was assigned to the Chinle Police District.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Police Officer Michael Lee died on June 18, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Navajo Division of Public Safety.
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 wife and children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NN-TR-7B06BBFE- 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.
Police Officer Lee gave the Navajo Division of Public Safety 29 years.
Thank you for your service to the Window Rock community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Lee.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Michael Lee 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 AZ, 16 of 330 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.8% of this state's fallen. That is 4.3 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Navajo Division of Public Safety, 2 of 17 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 11.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Lee's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Lee Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Lee is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
16 officers from Navajo Division of Public Safety are honored on badge.nw.
