Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Mike Lane was killed when the department helicopter he was riding in crashed.
Sergeant Lane and a deputy from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office were investigating reports of a fire. At approximately 10:30 pm, the helicopter crashed into Sabine Lake about five miles east of the Rainbow Bridge and 2-1/2 miles south of Stewts Island.
The deputy survived the crash and was able to swim to safety, however, Sergeant Lane suffered fatal injuries as a result of the impact.
Sergeant Lane had served with the Beaumont Police Department for 32 years.
Sergeant Lane had served with the Beaumont Police Department for 32 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, parents, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-7C1E3BBE- 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
32 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Lane gave the Beaumont Police Department 32 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Beaumont community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Lane.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant James Michael Lane 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 TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Beaumont Police Department, 11 of 21 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 52.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Michael Lane's cause is highlighted.
How James Michael Lane Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Michael Lane is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
20 officers from Beaumont Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
