Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Jefferson was killed when an automobile struck his motorcycle at the corner of Elvis Presley Boulevard and Brooks Road. He was responding to a officer assistance call when the call was canceled.
Patrolman Jefferson was a United States Army veteran of the Vietnam war and served with the Memphis Police Department for nine and a half years. He is buried in Memphis National Cemetery
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-6C58A7AA- 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 Jefferson gave the Memphis Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Memphis community. Thank you 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 Lee Jefferson served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman James Lee Jefferson 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 TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Memphis Police Department, 25 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Lee Jefferson's cause is highlighted.
How James Lee Jefferson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Lee Jefferson is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from Memphis Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
