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Thomas Keith Slay
Corporal

Thomas Keith Slay

Columbus Police Department — Columbus, GA
Accident
United States flag Georgia flag
End of Watch July 30, 2013
Age 53
Tour of Duty 32 yrs
The Vigil Panel 162 ›
Gender Male
Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 25

Incident

Corporal Keith Slay was killed in an automobile crash while responding to assist another officer.

Corporal Slay and another officer were traveling north with lights and sirens in an unmarked truck on Veterans Parkway when another vehicle entered their lane and struck their vehicle at approximately 3:00 p.m. The truck left the road and slid sideways, striking a utility pole on the driver's side.

Corporal Slay was transported to The Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma. The other officer was critically injured in the wreck. Both officers were assigned to a multi-agency drug task force. In September 2015, the 74-year-old driver who caused the accident was sentenced to 12 months probation and retaking the driver's license examination.

Corporal Slay had served with the Columbus Police Department for 32 years, assigned to the Metro Narcotics Task Force.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, son, stepdaughter, mother, and father.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

32 years. You could have gone home.
Corporal Slay gave the Columbus Police Department 32 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Slay.

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

Agency

Department Columbus Police Department
Type Other
Location Columbus, Muscogee County, GA
Platform Identity cpd.muscogee.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 30, 2013
Tour of Duty 32 yrs
Age 53
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

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

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

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Compare against
I

Time

In 2013, 56 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 83rd heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Thomas was 53. 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. Thomas had served 32 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

July holds 9.3% 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

His people

Columbus Police Department has 26 officers remembered here, Thomas among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Corporal Thomas Keith Slay

Columbus Police Department · End of Watch July 30, 2013

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 31-W

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