Richard Arnold McMahan
Command Sergeant

Richard Arnold McMahan

Columbus Police Department — Columbus, GA
Cardiac
End of Watch October 13, 2021
Age 59
Tour of Duty 40 yrs 8 mo
The Vigil Panel 392 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Rick McMahan suffered a fatal heart attack while running on a treadmill in the department gym at 510 E 10th Street.

He was participating in the department's wellness program in preparation for his annual physical fitness test.

Sergeant McMahan had served with the Columbus Police Department for over 40 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, two children, and four grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

40 years. You could have gone home.
Command Sergeant McMahan gave the Columbus Police Department 40 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Command Sergeant McMahan.

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

Agency

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

Service Record

End of Watch October 13, 2021
Tour of Duty 40 yrs 8 mo
Age 59
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

The Sacrifice · Cardiac

Richard is one of 1,307 officers lost to cardiac events in the United States, 4.7% 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 2021, 23 officers in the United States were lost to cardiac events, the 2nd heaviest of 139 years on record. The heaviest was 2014, with 24.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Richard was 59. Of the 1,249 lost to cardiac events in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 43 and 55; the middle age was 48. Richard had served 40.6 years; the middle length of service was 15 years.

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

When

October holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; January holds the most, 9.6%. Wednesdays: 14.5%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Cardiac deaths account for 4.7% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 4th most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

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

VI

Where

Command Sergeant Richard Arnold McMahan

Columbus Police Department · End of Watch October 13, 2021

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 11-W

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