Roll of Honor
Biography
Sergeant Keith Lee was a member of the Ithaca College Police Department for 25 years. He was on temporary disability from a knee injury while playing basketball. He died by suicide June 1, 2005. Keith was born on January 24, 1957 in Bainbridge, NY and was a 1976 graduate of Bainbridge-Guilford High School. He went on to serve his country in the US Air Force and after his discharge he attended Tompkins-Cortland Community College. He received his associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. He relocated to Virginia and joined the Roanoke County Sheriff’s Department. He later retuned to NY and in 1980 began working for the Ithaca College Campus Police. He was promoted to sergeant in 1986. In April of 1999 he was presented with the Frank Hammer Officer of the Month Award by the Ithaca Kiwanis Club, which cited him for his leadership in the Office of Public Safety and his service to the campus community. He earned the IC Choice Award in 2003 for his work in helping establish the College’s Emergency Response Plan. Sergeant Lee was highly respected by the entire Ithaca College community. He also worked several summers as an officer with the New York State Park Police. Keith was a devoted husband, father, son and brother. He loved spending time with his family. During his free time he enjoyed watching his kids play sports (he never missed any of his children’s activities), playing basketball and running.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-8005683E- 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
Officer Keith Lee served with the Ithaca College Campus Police.
Thank you for your service, and for your service before it. We will always remember your sacrifice.
You belong on this wall. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Keith C. Lee served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Keith C. Lee is one of 256 officers honored for deaths connected to the weight of the job across the full record of this memorial — 0.8% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 19 of 2,147 officers were honored for deaths connected to the weight of the job — 0.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0.8%.
National Cause Distribution
How Suicide compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Keith C. Lee's cause is highlighted.
How Keith C. Lee Compares
When Suicide Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Suicide deaths across the full memorial record. Keith C. Lee is highlighted in Jun.