Roll of Honor

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Deputy Sheriff

Bruce E. Mettler

Ottawa County Sheriff's Office — Port Clinton, OH

Accident Veteran →

End of Watch December 9, 1983

Age 37

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

The Vigil Panel 127 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Bruce Mettler, Sergeant Robert Rigoni of the Port Clinton Police Department, and Dispatcher Michael Sweeney of the Put-in-Bay Police Department were killed when the plane they were riding in crashed into Lake Erie. The officers were traveling to assist a police chief on a neighboring island who was suffering a heart attack. All four occupants of the plane were killed in the accident. Deputy Mettler was a U.S. Army veteran and served with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, two sons, a stepson, mother, sister, and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-OH-307AAA83
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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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.
Deputy Sheriff Mettler gave the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Port Clinton community, 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 Ottawa County Sheriff's Office

Location Port Clinton, OH

Platform Identity ocso.ottawa.oh.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 9, 1983

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Bruce E. Mettler served in the Army (1964â1965) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Bruce E. Mettler is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

Ottawa County Sheriff's Office

of 1 officers

100% Accident

OH — Statewide

318

of 991 officers

32.1% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Bruce E. Mettler's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

17,623 (54.2%)

Accident

10,088 (31%)

Illness

2,974 (9.1%)

Cardiac

1,306 (4%)

Undetermined

260 (0.8%)

Suicide

256 (0.8%)

vehicular

1 (0%)

How Bruce E. Mettler Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

Years of Service