David Chester Towels

Los Angeles Police Department — Los Angeles, CA

Veteran → Illness

End of Watch November 23, 1918

Age 28

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

The Vigil Panel 36 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 239

Incident

Policeman David Towels died as a result of complications from influenza while performing his assigned duties during the Influenza Pandemic.

Policeman Towels was a California Army National Guard veteran and served with the Los Angeles Police Department for two years.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CA-F745715E
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. David 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.
Policeman Towels gave the Los Angeles Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles 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

Department Los Angeles Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA

Platform Identity lapd.losangeles.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 23, 1918

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 28

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Military Service

David Chester Towels served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Policeman David Chester Towels 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 CA, 75 of 1,837 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.1% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Los Angeles Police Department, 22 of 240 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.2% of this agency's fallen.

Los Angeles Police Department

of 240 officers

9.2% Illness

CA — Statewide

of 1,837 officers

4.1% Illness

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Illness