Dale August Van Vooren

Illinois State Police — Springfield, IL

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch December 29, 1962

Age 27

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

The Vigil Panel 98 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 66

Incident

Trooper Dale Van Vooren was killed in an automobile accident as a result of a mechanical failure in his squad car. On what normally would have been his day off, Trooper Van Vooren was working a special holiday patrol on Saturday, December 29, 1962, with Trooper Darrel Vandenore. When the two first came on duty, they noticed that the accelerator was sticking when they first began their shift. They took the vehicle to a service station and had a spring replaced. They headed back on the road. The repair did not fix the problem and afterwards, the problem was found to be a malfunctioning carburetor linkage. Accelerating to pursue a speeder, the two troopers were driving on Highway 6, about a mile east of Annawan, when the carburetor stuck wide open. The squad car spun out of control, struck a culvert, skidded across the highway and overturned. Trooper Van Vooren was thrown through the windshield. He died of head injuries at St. Francis Hospital in Kewanee. His partner, although seriously injured, survived and returned to duty. Trooper Van Vooren was a U.S Navy veteran and served with the Illinois State Police for five years. He was assigned to District 7, Rock Island. His wife and three children survive.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-0BFF584F
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Dale. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Dale is one person.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

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.
Trooper Van Vooren gave the Illinois State Police 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois, 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 Illinois State Police

Type State Police

Location Springfield, IL

Platform Identity ilsp.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 29, 1962

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Age 27

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Dale August Van Vooren served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Dale August Van Vooren is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 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%.

At Illinois State Police, 49 of 67 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.1% of this agency's fallen.

Illinois State Police

of 67 officers

73.1% Accident

IL — Statewide

354

of 1,318 officers

26.9% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident