Roll of Honor
Berisford Anthony Morse
Incident
Correctional Officer Berisford Morse died after contracting COVID-19 through a confirmed exposure to an inmate during an outbreak at the Monroe Correctional Complex’s minimum security unit.
Officer Morse had served with the Washington State Department of Corrections for 17 years.
Beginning in early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country began to contract COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic. Due to the nature of their job, law enforcement officers were required to work and interact with the community even as the majority of the country was self-quarantined. As a result, hundreds of officers died from COVID-related illnesses and other complications.
Visit ODMP's COVID-19 memorial listing every officer who has died as a result of a confirmed or presumed exposure.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Correctional Officer Berisford Anthony Morse died on May 17, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 65.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 5 at Washington State Department of Corrections.
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.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-9A50632D- 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.
Correctional Officer Morse gave the Washington State Department of Corrections 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Washington. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Correctional Officer Morse.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Correctional Officer Berisford Anthony Morse 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 WA, 19 of 339 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 Washington State Department of Corrections, 5 of 11 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 45.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Berisford Anthony Morse's cause is highlighted.
How Berisford Anthony Morse Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Berisford Anthony Morse is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Washington State Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw.
