Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Phillips was killed in a motorcycle accident while on patrol on Clinton Highway. He was thrown from the motorcycle when it struck a guard rail and sign post.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-D4FB5E52- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew John. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Phillips served with the Knoxville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Knoxville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Phillips.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer John W. Phillips 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 Knoxville Police Department, 4 of 17 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John W. Phillips's cause is highlighted.
How John W. Phillips Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John W. Phillips is highlighted in Apr.
Others Who Wore This Badge
16 officers from Knoxville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
