Bruce A. Petersen
Agency patch
Officer

Bruce A. Petersen

Accident
End of Watch October 20, 1987
Age 30
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 6 mo
Badge 3536
The Vigil Panel 132 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Bruce Petersen was killed in an automobile crash while pursuing a speeding vehicle on State Route 61 near Concho, Arizona. His patrol car struck another car in front of the Concho School, causing it to leave the roadway and strike a large tree. Officer Petersen had served with the agency for 2.5 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his expectant wife and three sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-53190EA8
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.
Officer Petersen gave the Arizona Department of Public Safety 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Arizona. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Petersen.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Phoenix, AZ
Platform Identity adps.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 20, 1987
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 6 mo
Age 30
Badge Number 3536
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Officer Bruce A. Petersen 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 AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 28.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Arizona Department of Public Safety, 15 of 31 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 48.4% of this agency's fallen.

Arizona Department of Public Safety
15
of 31 officers
48.4% Accident
AZ — Statewide
95
of 330 officers
28.8% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

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

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

How Bruce A. Petersen Compares

Age at Death
30
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
2.5
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Bruce A. Petersen is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location