Bernard Dean Ratliff
Agency patch
Conservation Officer

Bernard Dean Ratliff

Veteran → Cardiac
End of Watch June 21, 1999
Age 51
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
The Vigil Panel 146 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Conservation Officer Bernard Ratliff suffered a fatal heart attack after participating in his agency's physical fitness program during his shift in Richmond, Kentucky.

Officer Ratliff had served with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for 20 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-306BE687
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. Bernard is one person.

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Tributes

20 years. You could have gone home.
Conservation Officer Ratliff gave the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Conservation Officer Ratliff.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Frankfort, KY
Platform Identity kdfwrcons.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 21, 1999
Tour of Duty 20 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Military Service

Bernard Dean Ratliff served in the U.S. Army (1968–1970) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Conservation Officer Bernard Dean Ratliff is one of 1 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In KY, 44 of 983 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.5% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, 1 of 9 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 11.1% of this agency's fallen.

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
1
of 9 officers
11.1% Cardiac
KY — Statewide
44
of 983 officers
4.5% Cardiac
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Cardiac

National Cause Distribution

How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Bernard Dean Ratliff's cause is highlighted.

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

How Bernard Dean Ratliff Compares

Age at Death
51
This officer
Avg for Cardiac: 48.6 years
Years of Service
20
This officer
Avg for Cardiac: 15.6 years

When Cardiac Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Bernard Dean Ratliff is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
124
Feb
105
Mar
99
Apr
116
May
115
Jun
95
Jul
94
Aug
104
Sep
109
Oct
121
Nov
113
Dec
111

Incident Location

Military Service

Bernard Dean Ratliff served in the U.S. Army (1968–1970) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Bernard Dean Ratliff’s page on salute.nw →

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