Roll of Honor
James A. McKale, Jr.
Incident
Police Officer James McKale was killed in an automobile crash on West River Drive near the Strawberry Mansion Bridge. He had just reported to duty and was en route for routine patrol when he lost control of his vehicle at 7:28 a.m. He was transported to the Medical College of Pennsylvania, where he died from his injuries. Officer McKale was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for three and a half years. He was survived by his parents and sister. His father was a retired Philadelphia Police Department officer.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-0D7F8054- 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.
Police Officer McKale gave the Philadelphia Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia 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
James A. McKale, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer James A. McKale, Jr. 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Philadelphia Police Department, 110 of 378 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James A. McKale, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How James A. McKale, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James A. McKale, Jr. is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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