Rosemary Iris May
Deputy Sheriff

Rosemary Iris May

Accident
End of Watch September 26, 1989
Age 49
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
The Vigil Panel 135 ›
Gender Female

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Rosemary May was killed when her department vehicle was struck by another car that ran a stop sign at a high rate of speed at the intersection of Avenue I and 30th Street East in Lancaster. The driver of the other vehicle pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter and was sentenced to one year in jail. Deputy May had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 21 years.

Survivors

She was survived by her two sisters.

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

21 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff May gave the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 21 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff May.

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

Agency

Type Other
Location Monterey Park, Los Angeles County, CA
Platform Identity lacso.losangeles.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 26, 1989
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
Age 49
Gender Female

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Rosemary is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 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 1989, 84 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 21st heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Rosemary was 49. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Rosemary had served 21 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

September holds 9.2% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Tuesdays: 14.1%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

Her people

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Rosemary among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Deputy Sheriff Rosemary Iris May

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department · End of Watch September 26, 1989

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 36-E

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