Iowa Peace Officer Memorial

Each year in May, State of Iowa leadership, law enforcement, and families gather at the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial in Des Moines to pay tribute to fallen peace officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

In April 2024, the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Lighting Project was completed. This radiant tribute, lit every night from dusk until dawn, further illuminates the valor of fallen officers.

About the Memorial

The Peace Officer Memorial is fronted by a stone which explains the artist's conception of the elements of the memorial. The stone reads: 

"The three outer forms represent the three levels of law enforcement in Iowa. 

The equal spacing represents the equal sharing of responsibility.  

The circles represent the cooperation and fraternity between agencies and departments. 

The three gray paths to the center represent the agencies and departments uniting to serve, sacrifice, and mourn. 

The center pinnacle represents the service, dedication, and sacrifice shared by each peace officer.  

The top of each outer form represents the aim of each peace officer with the goal being just short of the ultimate act of giving one's life, which is represented by the top of the center pinnacle."

The memorial stone also lists the committee members who planned and organized the development and dedication of the memorial. Those members include: the Honorable Terry E. Branstad, Governor of Iowa, the Honorable Lee Holt, State Senator, Adrian D. Anderson, Raymond K. Baker, Glenn F. Brockett, Cindy Hill-Collier, George S. Mills, Gene W. Shepard, and Connie A. White. 

Supplementing the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial are two plaques which are on display at the Iowa Department of Public Safety in the Oran Pape State Office Building. One plaque recognizes each Iowa peace officer who has died in the line of duty, and the other recognizes Iowans who have died while engaged in law enforcement or closely-related functions, but who were not peace officers. 

2026 Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony

This year's ceremony will be Friday, May 8, 2026 at 10 am.  Information on this event can be found here.

Nominate An Officer

NOMINATION CRITERIA

All submissions will be reviewed by the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Committee, which is comprised of representatives from the Iowa State Sheriffs' and Deputies' Association, Iowa State Police Association, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety to ensure all criteria for inclusion are met.

NOMINATION CRITERIA  (433.79 KB) .pdf

NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS

Nominations may be made by an Iowa law enforcement agency. Only officers whose deaths occur in a line-of-duty incident will be considered. 

Nominations must be made in writing and should include:    

• Photograph of the victim officer (if a photo is not available, please submit the completed form)
• Death certificate and/or coroner's report
• Initial police/incident report
• Copy of victim officer's sworn officer certificate
• Copies of news articles regarding the incident/death

NOMINATION FORM (401.98 KB) .pdf

Roster of Memorial Honorees

In memory of the 198 Iowa Peace Officers who gave their lives in protecting the rights and privileges of Iowans. These absent friends and colleagues will never be forgotten:

Philip J. Adams | Henry Agnew | Charles T. Andreano | Gilbert G. Androy | Henry J. Arends | Ralph R. Ash | Maurice M. Baggs | Aaron Bailey | John Bailey | Felix A. Barta | Bobby J. Barrickman | Douglas P. Bell | Anthony D. Beminio | Ted Benda | Earl H. Berendes | Jimmie M. Biggs | Warren H. Binegar | Harry M. Blomquist | Harry L. Booton | John H. Bousman | Levi A. Bowers | Robert R. Bornholdt | James G. Britton | Jamie D. Buenting | Leonard J. Bulman | Mark J. Burbridge | James W. Busby | George M. Butcher | Orrin L. Case | Marion A. Conrey | John P. Conway | Newton F. Collings | Robert C. Coulter | James J. Cowart | Cecil M. Crawford | Charles E. Crill | Glen R. Crouse | Claude B. Dail | Louis H. Dayton | Joseph P. Davidchik | Harry E. Davis | Harold C. Degear | Frank Delmege | Lance G. Dietsch | Wendell F. Dilworth | Wilber W. Dorman | Pitt M. Doxsie | Everett L. Dutcher | Sulvan E. Dykstra | Richard L. Eggleston | Susan L. Farrell | Michael L. Farnsworth | Joseph C. Feely | Reuben Fenstenmaker | John H. Finley | Jake Frith | Leland A. Fry | Ralph F. Garthwaite | Charles H. Gates | Bernard H. Geerts | Theodore E. Gerischer | Stanley E. Gerling | Charles P. Gillin | William Goodenbour | Menzo C. Grady | Thomas P. Griffin | Carroll E. Halligan  | Samuel Hamilton | Henry Hanfeld | William R. Hanshaw | Patrick J. Hatton | Laverne G. Haubert | Kipton L. Hayward | Phillip A. Heimbecker, Sr. | Robert D. Heller | Leo Hemmer | Jon E. Hermann | Frank A. Herzog | Donald E. Hewitt | William E. Hickman | Roger R. Hildreth | Dennis E. Hill | Micheal W. Hoing | Howard W. Holdefer | Steven T. Howard | Charles C. Jackson | Lewis R. Jones | Norman D. Juhl | William H. Jurgens | Joseph Kaschmitter | Harold E. Klinkefus | Johannes F. Koch | Cecil G. Lafromboise | Peter J. Larson | Edward M. Leeney | Elmer J. Lennon | John F. Lievens | Charles J. Lodine | Albert M. Logan | Charley Loucks | Gaylord Lyman | Cornelius J. Mccarthy | Clint Mcconnell | William B. Mcdaniel | Dennis R. Mcelderry | Charles V. Mcgriff | Daniel M. Mcpherren, Sr. | Vinton J. Margretz | Dewey Marshall | Justin S. Martin |George W. Mattern | William A. Maxwell | William L. Meadows | William R. Mehlhorn, Jr. | Albert Meisner | Brian C. Melton | Shawn G. Miller | Wilbur B. Miller | Frank Mommer | Claude E. Moore | Thomas D. Moore | Carlos B. Puente-Morales | Jake Mulder | William F. Mullikin | Robert G. Murray | John K. Myers | Jacob Neibert | Thomas Nicholson | Allen P. Nieland | Daniel D. Norton | Timothy O’Brien | James L. O’Malley | Ralph W. Ogan, Jr. | Harry Ogilvie | Duane H. Otto | Stevan H. Owen | Albert Paul | Oran H. Pape | Albert Patton | Harold H. Pearce | Gerald D. Pickett | Charles C. Platner | William B. Ramsey | Wayne R. Rice | Austin W. Richardson | Ronald G. Roberts | James E. Rodine | Raymond E. Rogers | Frederick W. Sauer | Peter Scanlon | George W. Schane | Stephanie J. Schreurs | Francis M. Shepherd | Rupert L. Shepherd | Allen F. Shoemaker | Cole B. Shatswell | Michael H. Smit | Frank Smith | Jim K. Smith | Robert L. Smith | Rolland P. Smith | Howard J. Snider | Emil A. Speth | Robert G. Sproat | James A. Staggs | John L. Stephens | Eric J. Stein | Todd W. Stone | William E. Strain | Billy B. Sutherlin | Bret N. Sunner | M.A. Swatta | John Swearingen | William F. Sweet | Henry Talcott | Ollie D. Thomas| Ralph E. Thomas | Mark E. Toney | Virgil G. Untied | Marvin C. Vanderlinden | John E. Vanhaaften | Ernest H. Wahlert | Thomas Walsh | Abner Whitney | Charles G. Whitney | Fred P. Widmann | John K. Williams | Richard D. Williams | George O. Williamson | Francis Wilson| George W. Wilson | Elijah E. Wishart | Sean T. Wissink | Jack L. Woodard | Clarence Woolman | George A. Wright | Phoukham Tran | Kevin M. Cram