Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant John Donohue died as the result of contracting COVID-19 following a presumed exposure in the line of duty.
Sergeant Donohue had served with the Fairfax County Police Department for 18-1/2 years and was assigned to the Fair Oaks District. He had previously served as an auxiliary police officer with the Dumont Police Department, New Jersey.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Sergeant John Joseph Donohue died on February 23, 2022 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 62.
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.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-7A9BC288- 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.
Sergeant Donohue gave the Fairfax County Police Department 24 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fairfax community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Donohue.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant John Joseph Donohue 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 VA, 23 of 654 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.5% of this state's fallen. That is 5.6 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Fairfax County Police Department, 2 of 8 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Joseph Donohue's cause is highlighted.
How John Joseph Donohue Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. John Joseph Donohue is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Fairfax County Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
