Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman William Sanders succumbed to injuries received three days earlier when his revolver exploded during roll call. On February 7, William Sanders, United States Army Veteran, was nominated to appointed as a Patrolman and three days later on the 10th, his appointment was approved. By March 1, 1888, he was working as a Patrolman. Five days later, at 1 a.m. on March 6, 1888, while patrolling his beat at Grandview Avenue and McMillan Street, Patrolman Sanders’ revolver slipped from his breast pocket, fell to the ground, and discharged. The bullet entered his foot through the ball of the heel. Patrolman Sanders was removed by Patrol 6 to No. 14 Walnut Street and attended there by Dr. Jones. Within a day or two, Patrolman Sanders was transported to City Hospital. Medical personnel probed for the bullet, but they failed to find it. On March 9, 1888, doctors cut into the opposite side of his heel hoping to find it there; but it was not found. Later in the day, he had violent bouts of hiccoughing which surgeons attributed to “great shock and irritation to the nervous system.” His temperature and pulse were very high as well. Amputation was considered to be the only solution, but his condition would not permit the operation. Shortly after midnight on March 11, 1888, Patrolman Sanders succumbed to septicemia and carditis, becoming the second officer in one year to die from an accidental discharge of a revolver fallen from a breast pocket. Patrolman Sanders had served with the agency for only 10 days and had previously served with the United States Army. He was survived by his wife. He was buried with full military honors at Wesleyan Cemetery.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-9A883200- 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.
Patrolman Sanders served with the Cincinnati Police Department.
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
William Sanders served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman William Sanders 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. William Sanders's cause is highlighted.
How William Sanders Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Sanders is highlighted in Mar.
Others Who Wore This Badge
105 officers from Cincinnati Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
