Dennis Leo Riley

Charles County Sheriff's Office — La Plata, MD

Accident Veteran

End of Watch January 11, 1977

Age 28

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Badge 49

The Vigil Panel 118 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 5

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Dennis Riley was killed in an automobile crash at the intersection of Route 228 and U.S. Route 301 in Waldorf, Maryland. As he waited for a traffic light to change, a tractor-trailer fuel tanker skidded to a stop and overturned on his patrol car, killing him instantly. Deputy Riley was a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and served with the Charles County Sheriff's Office for five years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MD-534A05D9
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 Riley gave the Charles County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the La Plata 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 Charles County Sheriff's Office

Location La Plata, MD

Platform Identity ccso.charles.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 11, 1977

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Age 28

Badge Number 49

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Dennis Leo Riley served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Deputy Sheriff Dennis Leo Riley 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 MD, 140 of 377 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.1% of this state's fallen. That is 6.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Charles County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Charles County Sheriff's Office

of 6 officers

50% Accident

MD — Statewide

140

of 377 officers

37.1% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident