Holly MatkinMilwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) Sergeant Elbertroy “Troy” Jackson died Dec. 19 after suffering a stroke.
The 48-year-old sergeant had recently suffered a series of medical issues, his wife, Sonja Jackson, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He was flown by helicopter to St. Luke’s Hospital in September of 2020 due to an aortic artery tear, but he was later able to return to light duty in the MPD’s property division, Sonja explained.
Sgt. Jackson suffered a stroke in August, then a second stroke on Dec. 16, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
He passed away three days later.
Sgt. Jackson, a U.S. Air Force veteran, served with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) prior to joining the MPD in 2002, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He met Sonja at a bar while he was attending the law enforcement academy and they exchanged phone numbers before he jokingly asked her if she needed a police escort home to ensure her safety, she recalled.
Sonja declined the offer, and became upset when she got home and spotted him in her neighborhood, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
She got out of her car and started yelling at him, demanding to know why he followed her to her house, when he pointed out his own home located just three doors down, she said.
“I’m not following you, I’m going home,” he had insisted, according to Sonja. “I live right there.”
Sonja said her husband touched many people’s lives during his decades of service, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Longtime friend Homer Blow said the father-of-three “was an all-around genuine good person” and a fantastic father.
“A great father. Not a good father, a great father,” Blow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
MPD Lieutenant Sheronda Grant said Sgt. Jackson “understood the importance of building up relationships” with community members.
“He just brought a lot of realness and he was true to who he was and he was true to his profession,” Lt. Grant added.
He also lived by the mantra that “there’s always two sides” to every debate or situation, longtime friend Tommie Myles told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“That’s the police officer in him,” Myles said.
The MCSO said in a Facebook post that Sgt. Jackson “was a dedicated public servant and leader.”
“He will be missed,” the sheriff’s office said. “May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.”
The MPD released a statement saying the longtime sergeant “will be missed by the entire MPD family,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Sgt. Jackson leaves behind his wife, Sonja, as well as his children, 24-year-old Troy, 22-year-old Katie, and 14-year-old Tory.
He will be laid to rest Dec. 30.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) Sergeant Elbertroy “Troy” Jackson, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
Sandy Malone
