Roll of Honor
Incident
Interim Police Chief Michael Knapp succumbed to injuries sustained the previous evening when he was struck by a pickup truck in the 200 block of Fourth Street.
He was crossing the street to attend a special city council meeting at the city hall introducing the three finalists for the permanent police chief position. The vehicle that struck him had its headlights off after sunset. Chief Knapp was flown to a hospital in Seattle with severe injuries and died the following day.
Chief Knapp was a United States Army veteran and had been appointed the interim police chief six months earlier. He was a former Police Officer with the Milpitas, California Police Department and a Deputy Sheriff with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. He was the Chief of Police for the City of Medina, Washington, between 1998 and 2003, and was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Ferndale, Washington, in September 2005, where he served until his retirement in 2016. Chief Knapp was a member of the California Bar Association and is a graduate of the 100th Session of the FBI National Academy and the Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State.
Chief Knapp was a United States Army veteran and had been appointed the interim police chief six months earlier. He was a former Police Officer with the Milpitas, California Police Department and a Deputy Sheriff with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. He was the Chief of Police for the City of Medina, Washington, between 1998 and 2003, and was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Ferndale, Washington, in September 2005, where he served until his retirement in 2016. Chief Knapp was a member of the California Bar Association and is a graduate of the 100th Session of the FBI National Academy and the Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-941ED01F- 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.
Interim Police Chief Knapp gave the Lynden Police Department 49 years.
Thank you for your service to the Lynden 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
Michael Franklin Knapp served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Interim Police Chief Michael Franklin Knapp 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 WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Lynden Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Franklin Knapp's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Franklin Knapp Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Franklin Knapp is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Lynden Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
