Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Kenneth Knepp was killed in a motorcycle crash on North Howard and Frederick Streets in Akron. He was on a detail to the highway patrol when a truck turned in front of him. Officer Knepp was unable to stop and collided with the back of the truck. Other officers were following behind him and were able to pull him out of the burning wreckage. He succumbed to his injuries as soon as he arrived at St. Thomas Hospital. The driver admitted to having a drink before driving home. He was charged with manslaughter, but was acquitted. Officer Knepp had served with the Akron Police Department for almost eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, parents, two brothers, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-0D6DCFDF- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Knepp gave the Akron Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Akron community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Knepp.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Kenneth Knepp is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Akron Police Department, 7 of 28 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kenneth Knepp's cause is highlighted.
How Kenneth Knepp Compares
Offender Outcome
Acquitted
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Kenneth Knepp is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
27 officers from Akron Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
