Blane Lane
Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane was shot and killed while serving a felony arrest warrant for a previous narcotic charge at a residence in Polk City.
Deputy Sheriff Lane previously served as a Detention Deputy and had one year as a Law Enforcement Deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office when he was killed. He is survived by his children.
Paul Dunn
Officer Paul Dunn was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident and died as a result of traumatic injuries sustained in the accident.
Kenneth Foley
Officer Ken Foley suffered an on-duty, job-related medical episode and died as a result.
Christopher Broadhead
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Broadhead contracted
COVID-19 on-duty during the pandemic and died from complications caused by the viral infection.
Arnulfo Crispin
Officer Arnulfo Crispin was shot and killed while making contact with suspicious individuals near Crystal Grove Drive in Lakeland at approximately 10:15 pm on the evening of December 21, 2011.
Officer Crispin had served with the Lakeland Police Department for 18 months. He is survived by eight siblings.
Sgt. Wesley Richard Whitmore Jr.
Sergeant Wesley Whitmore, a 15-year veteran of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Air Force retiree, was struck and killed in a Winter Haven parking lot. The accident occurred when an elderly driver lost control of an SUV, crashed through a barrier, and hit Whitmore’s patrol car, pinning him as he exited the vehicle.
Joesph Robbins
Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Master Deputy Sheriff, Joseph S. (Shane) Robbins died on April 26, 2013 while on duty, as a result of a single vehicle crash.
Delmar Harold Teagan
Lieutenant Delmar Teagan, a 10-year veteran of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was killed in a head-on collision while driving home from training. An opposing vehicle swerved into his path on Rockridge Road, causing fatal injuries at the scene; the other driver faces charges.
Matthew Williams
On September 28th, 2006, Deputy Sheriff Vernon “Matt” Williams and his K-9 partner DiGi were killed in the line of duty by Angilo Freeland after Freeland fled the scene of a traffic stop and shot fellow Deputy Sheriff Doug Speirs in the leg.
The suspect was later shot and killed by law enforcement.
Sgt. Ronnie O’neal Brown
Sgt. Brown died on September 9, 2009, from injuries sustained during a struggle with an agitated inmate at the South County Jail. While responding to a broken sprinkler in a cell on August 30, Sgt. Brown was battered and shoved into a wall, requiring rescue by fellow deputies. He underwent back surgery on September 2 but tragically passed away during his recovery at Winter Haven Hospital.