Roll of Honor
Incident
Warrants Officer Toby Keiser died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Officer Keiser was a veteran of both the U.S. Navy and Army National Guard. He had served with the Knox County Sheriff's Office for 28 years. He had retired and rejoined the force as a Warrants Officer.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Warrants Officer Toby Jay Keiser died on January 18, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 54.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-C18DC08B- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Warrants Officer Keiser gave the Knox County Sheriff's Office 28 years.
Thank you for your service to the Knoxville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Warrants Officer Keiser.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Toby Jay Keiser served in the Navy (1986â1989) before joining law enforcement.
Warrants Officer Toby Jay Keiser is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 43 of 769 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 5.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Knox County Sheriff's Dept., 1 of 11 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Toby Jay Keiser's cause is highlighted.
How Toby Jay Keiser Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Toby Jay Keiser is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Knox County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
