Augustus C. Becker
Agency patch
Sergeant

Augustus C. Becker

Des Moines Police Department — Des Moines, IA
Veteran → Illness
End of Watch February 19, 1904
Age 60
The Vigil Panel 19 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Augustus Becker suffered a fatal stroke while transporting an injured man to Mercy Hospital.

He had assigned as the wagon man for the night and was also responsible for driving the city ambulance. He had responded to the Chicago Great Western Railroad's roundhouse, in the area of Thomas Beck Road, and placed the injured man into the ambulance. Moments later he collapsed in the ambulance's seat. He was taken to Mercy Hospital where he died several hours later.

Sergeant Becker was a Union Army veteran of the Civil War.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and several grown children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-0A95F44F
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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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Augustus 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.
Sergeant Becker served with the Des Moines Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Des Moines community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Des Moines, Polk County, IA
Platform Identity dmpd.polk.ia.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 19, 1904
Age 60
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Military Service

Augustus C. Becker served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant Augustus C. Becker is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In IA, 12 of 226 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 5.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Des Moines Police Department, 2 of 27 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 7.4% of this agency's fallen.

Des Moines Police Department
2
of 27 officers
7.4% Illness
IA — Statewide
12
of 226 officers
5.3% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Augustus C. Becker's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Augustus C. Becker Compares

Age at Death
60
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Augustus C. Becker is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location

Military Service

Augustus C. Becker served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

Visit Augustus C. Becker’s page on salute.nw →

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