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Trooper

Dale Benjamin Courtney

Oregon State Police — Salem, OR

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch October 1, 1950

Age 25

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 4 mo

The Vigil Panel 191 · Column 4 · Line 21 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Military Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 30

Incident

Trooper Bennie Courtney was shot and killed after responding to a call of shots being fired at a farm in Tigard, Oregon. When he arrived, he found a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy inside the farmhouse. As Trooper Courtney approached the house, the 14-year-old shot and killed him with a shotgun. The boy then shot and wounded the farmhouse owner and escaped. Both boys, who had escaped a juvenile facility, were later arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison. They were both later paroled. Trooper Courtney was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He had served with the Oregon State Police for four months and previously served with the McMinnville Police Department.

Survivors

He was survived by his expectant wife, daughter, mother, and brother.

In Our Keeping

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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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Dale is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Courtney gave the Oregon State Police 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of Oregon, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Oregon State Police

Type State Police

Location Salem, Marion County, OR

Platform Identity osp.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 1, 1950

Tour of Duty 1 yrs 4 mo

Age 25

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Shotgun

Military Service

Dale Benjamin Courtney served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Dale is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1950, 66 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 109th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Dale was 25. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Dale had served 1.3 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

October holds 7.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was shotgun, in 7% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded