Joseph Henry Etriss
Agency patch
Detective

Joseph Henry Etriss

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA
Felonious
End of Watch March 25, 1928
Age 36
Tour of Duty 10 yrs 10 mo
Gender Male

Incident

Detective Joseph Etriss was shot and killed when he mistakenly entered the wrong home while searching for a man who had just assaulted his wife. He was searching for a murder suspect when his life located him and informed him that she had been assaulted. Believing the suspect had entered a nearby home on 13th Street, between Moore Street and Sigel Street, Detective Etriss went inside of it to arrest the man. However, he accidentally went inside of the wrong home. The homeowner, believing Detective Etriss was a burglar, shot him with a shotgun. Detective Etriss had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 11 years and assigned to the City Hall Detective Squad.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Etriss gave the Philadelphia Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Etriss.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA
Platform Identity ppd.philadelphia.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 25, 1928
Tour of Duty 10 yrs 10 mo
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Joseph is one of 15,742 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,102 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1928, 201 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 13th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Joseph was 36. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Joseph had served 10.8 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

March holds 7.5% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Philadelphia Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Joseph among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Detective Joseph Henry Etriss

Philadelphia Police Department · End of Watch March 25, 1928

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 61-W

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