Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Joseph Sturm was accidentally shot and killed during a riot which started when a mob of angry citizens stormed the city jail in an attempt to hang a convict. The citizens were upset because the man was sentenced to 20 years for his crime instead of being sentenced to death. Approximately 10,000 citizens surrounded the courthouse and poured an accelerant down the stairs leading to an entry door where members of the Ohio National Guard were stationed after being activated the previous night. The Guardsmen opened fire on the rioters in order to push them back from the jail. Patrolman Sturm had taken a wagon into the crowd in order to aid a wounded rioter when he was struck multiple times by a second volley by the Guardsmen. Patrolman Sturm was a Civil War Veteran who served as a private in the 9th Ohio Infantry, Company E.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-576E7D58- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrol Wagon Driver Sturm gave the Cincinnati Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cincinnati community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Joseph Sturm served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrol Wagon Driver Joseph Sturm 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 Cincinnati Police Department, 32 of 106 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph Sturm's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Sturm Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Sturm is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
105 officers from Cincinnati Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
