Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Alfred Descher was struck and killed by a semitrailer at the scene of an accident on Illinois Route 3, approximately one mile south of the Columbia city limits at about 3:10 am. He had responded to the accident, checked for injuries, and then waited for the Illinois State Police who were responding to the accident. As Sergeant Descher spoke with one of the responding officers, a semitrailer traveling on the road jack-knifed, and struck both Sergeant Descher and the Illinois State Police squad car. Sergeant Descher was killed instantly and the state police officer suffered minor injuries. No charges were filed against the driver of the truck. Sergeant Descher had served with the Columbia Police Department for nine years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, four daughters, and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-2DC0AAC4- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Descher gave the Columbia Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Descher.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Alfred J. Descher is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Alfred J. Descher's cause is highlighted.
How Alfred J. Descher Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Alfred J. Descher is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Columbia Police Department are honored on badge.nw.