Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Deward Gresham was killed in a motorcycle accident while attempting to stop a traffic violator at 0800 hours. He was riding to work on his police motorcycle when he observed the violation and attempted to stop the car. Another vehicle pulled out in front of him at Union Street and Buena Vista Avenue, causing him to crash and strike his head. Officer Gresham was transported to the Alameda Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day. He was only wearing a soft hat and received fatal head injuries. Officer Gresham had been with the Alameda Police Department for over three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, children, and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-D0117A16- 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 Gresham gave the Alameda Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Alameda community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Gresham.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer DeWard Burton Gresham Sr. 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 39.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Alameda Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. DeWard Burton Gresham Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How DeWard Burton Gresham Sr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. DeWard Burton Gresham Sr. is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Alameda Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
