Donald Durr Hodges
Agency patch
Sergeant

Donald Durr Hodges

Kern County Sheriff's Office — Bakersfield, CA
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch April 14, 1969
Age 39
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Donald Hodges was shot and killed while chasing a theft suspect at a cocktail lounge southeast of Bakersfield. The suspect grabbed an employee's purse and ran out the door. Sergeant Hodges saw the incident and chased the suspect into the parking lot where he turned and shot him. The suspect was captured at his apartment two blocks away. The 19 year-old suspect was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to five years to life August 18, 1969. Sergeant Hodges had been with the agency for 18 years.

In Our Keeping

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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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Donald is one person.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Hodges gave the Kern County Sheriff's Office 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bakersfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Hodges.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Bakersfield, Kern County, CA
Platform Identity kcso.kern.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 14, 1969
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Donald Durr Hodges served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1946–1947) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Donald 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.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1969, 124 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 40th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Donald was 39. 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. Donald had served 18 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

April holds 8.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Kern County Sheriff's Office has 28 officers remembered here, Donald among them.

Sergeant Donald Durr Hodges

Kern County Sheriff's Office · End of Watch April 14, 1969

Military Service

Donald Durr Hodges served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1946–1947) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Donald Durr Hodges’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 25-E

Also Remembered

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